


An Eternity in Your Eyes

by Uthizaar



Series: An Eternity in Your Eyes [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anger, Anger Management, Assassins & Hitmen, BAMF Stiles, Banter, Barebacking, Beach Sex, Bottom Liam Dunbar, Bottom Stiles Stilinski, Breakfast, Caffeine, Canon-Typical Violence, Chimeras, Dreams and Nightmares, Drunk Werewolves, Explicit Sexual Content, Face-Sitting, First Dates, First Time, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Full Moon, Horny Teenagers, Hunters & Hunting, Implied Sexual Content, Injury, Internal Monologue, Jealous Liam, Jealousy, Kissing, Lacrosse, Loyalty, M/M, Manic Stiles, Masturbation, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Nipple Licking, Nudity, Oral Sex, POV Alternating, Pet Names, Post-Nogitsune Stiles Stilinski, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Liam, Public Nudity, Public Sex, Rimming, Road Rage, Scents & Smells, Sexual Fantasy, Sexual Tension, Sleep Deprivation, Star Wars References, Top Liam Dunbar, Top Stiles Stilinski, Traps, Underage Drinking, cum, cum as lube, season 4
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2018-10-08 23:45:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 107
Words: 206,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10398876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uthizaar/pseuds/Uthizaar
Summary: It was lacrosse try-outs, that was where Stiles saw him, where their eyes first brushed past and then flicked back to each other, locking on. It was that moment, when the world slowed to a crawl, when the volume hit zero and it was just him and Liam.Please note that there is some/explicit sexual content between Stiles and Liam (Chapters 34, 55, 63, 73, 74, and 100) in this story. Liam is 15/16, Stiles is 17. However, following conversations with some fellow writers, I have removed the Underage warning. If you think this should be reapplied, please leave me a comment.





	1. That First Day

He’ll never forget that first time he saw him. The way their eyes brushed to one side before each returning the other’s gaze. Silent. Secret. As though they both knew that what they were doing was dangerous. It didn’t matter that there was only two years between them, it still felt like an eternity, it looked like one too. He was tall and lean, muscular in the places that it counted, eyes that had seen some rough times, but a soft mouth, smooth cheeks that gave Liam the glimmer of hope that maybe he wasn’t so out of his league. But Liam was youthful, bright eyed and shorter than most of his friends, the other guy was interested, though, he could tell from that lingering gaze.

He had caught Stiles’ attention that very first day, not enough that Scott was staring at him like he used to do whenever Stiles was around Ethan or Danny, his best friend didn’t even notice his spiked pulse, the extra thumps in his heart-beat. Or maybe he didn’t care, or say it, or maybe Scott was still so wrapped up in getting over Alison that Stiles being interested in another guy wasn’t important. Stiles had told him months ago, after the first time he had been caught checking out Danny after practice. But this time… It wasn’t a big deal, of course, but he wasn’t sure that he wanted to be known as the guy who went after the Freshmen as soon as they arrived, and they _were_ young looking. Was that part of it? Sure, he was cute and youthful, and looked exactly the opposite to the guys that Stiles had fallen for previously. Liam looked like he wasn’t tainted by the supernatural, and that was what got his attention.

Liam caught the final ball and pulled off his helmet, grinning at his new friends. A few weeks in Beacon Hills and he already had a group to fall in with. "Nice Liam, you might just be our first ever Freshman captain!" He grinned at the compliment and touched sticks with the Garett. His eyes were drawn away, seeing two older teenagers watching at him, well one was staring at him. He looked away, but something made him glance back, and his gaze connected with the closer of the two. A familiar clench of his muscles and swoop in his stomach and the feelings were instant. He felt his friend punch him on the shoulder playfully and Liam tore his eyes away, forcing an easy grin onto his face.

It was lacrosse practice, that was where Stiles saw him; standing in goal, letting nothing past, pulling off his helmet and holy crap, punch to the gut. He almost staggered backwards when the connection was made. It was that moment, when the world slowed to a crawl, when the volume hit zero, and it was just him and a teenager he'd never seen before. And then it was gone, the other boy looked away first, but not before throwing a cocky grin his way. 

That was the moment Stiles knew that he a much bigger problem than Kate Argent rising from the dead.


	2. Locker Room Lies

In the locker room, after practice the same day, but it was different; tension where there normally was none. Stiles was distracted, his eyes kept flicking over to where Liam was changing. It became a problem as soon as Scott noticed and followed his gaze. His best friend patted his shoulder, voice low, "Don't worry, Stiles, you're still first line."

 _Yeah, cos that's why I'm fixated on him,_ Stiles thought, before he nodded for Scott's benefit. “Yeah. He’s uh, impressive.”

"C'mon, let's go say hi."

“What?” Stiles baulked, trying to think of an excuse not to, but nothing came and he followed Scott. Liam was still shirtless after his shower, soft, smooth, tanned skin that drew Stiles’ eyes immediately, to the point he stood still and stared at him, unaware of his open mouth.

 

Liam pulled his t-shirt over his head, turning around as he felt someone's eyes on him. He took a breath, the hot guy from earlier, Stiles, Coach had called him, a Junior, brown eyes watching him, mouth ajar. 

"Hey." Stiles nodded a greeting.

“…” Liam was about to reply when he noticed that Stiles wasn't alone. The captain of the lacrosse team leaned on a nearby locker, offering him a ready smile. Liam glanced at them questioningly.

"Liam, huh?" Stiles said, cocking a brow, "Want to explain what that was out there?"

“Err.”

 

Stiles swallowed hard, trying not to give anything away. A hard task since his eyes kept jumping between the younger teen's freshly washed hair sticking out in every direction, his stunning green eyes, flawlessly tanned skin, the cute mouth, the...

 

Liam hesitated, tongue reaching out to moisten his lips, he saw the way Stiles' eyes latched onto the gesture and looked at him, their eyes meeting for a second time. Enough to make his pulse spike and his cock harden in his shorts. He took a deep breath, and remembered that Stiles had just asked him a question. "Uh, what do you mean?"

 

He had heard Liam shout across the field, call out plays and affirmatives, but Stiles groaned a little on the inside when he heard him speak in a normal tone. _Everything about him is so cute!_ Stiles took a quick breath, looking quickly at Scott before ploughing on, "That little display. Your little circus act!"

"What circus act?"

Stiles found himself drowning in those perfect orbs again and struggled to continue. "You, you caught every shot."

 

Liam was confused, as Stiles gestured at him. "I was in goal."

"But nothing, not one, not a single shot got past you!"

If he was trying to flirt, Stiles wasn't very good at it, Liam frowned, "Yeah, I was the goalie." He looked at Scott and then back at Stiles, "Have you guys played this game before?"

Stiles gestured helplessly and Liam fought the urge to laugh, smiling at him. He thought he saw Stiles' lips twitch in response, but then Scott finally spoke.

"You're a freshman, right?"

"Yeah." He turned his attention away from Stiles, still feeling his eyes lingering on his face. “So?”

"But you weren't here last semester?"

"Uh huh," Liam looked at Stiles and then back at Scott, shrugging. "Transferred from Devenford Prep."

 

Stiles managed to pull his eyes away from drinking in the Freshman as Scott tilted his head, the tell-tale sign he was listening to Liam's heart-beat, and probably his too, _Shit._

"You transferred?" Scott repeated.

"Yeah," Liam replied, a little defensively now. Stiles could feel the increased tension between them.

"No," Scott stared at the younger teenager, "You got kicked out, didn't you?"

 

Liam's eyes widened, but then he got angry, who was this guy? "Kicked out? Transferred? What do you guys care? I came here to play lacrosse and..." He paused, eyes back on Stiles. “And that’s it.”

"Uh, right." Scott looked between them, frowning.

"Well, you can use some good players, right?" Liam asked, watching for Stiles' reaction.

"What? No, no, no." The older teen replied quickly, "We don’t need any more good players!"

"Actually, we could use some more good players." Scott said to his right.

Liam smirked when he saw Stiles open and close his mouth for a moment, before folding his arms. His eyes darted down to the bunched muscle and Liam swallowed, but that was when Stiles started to ask him weird questions. How did he get this good? Did it happen overnight? Like, was he meant to be some sort of superhero lacrosse player? 

"Have you ever been out in the woods on the night of a full moo-"

"Stiles!" Scott broke in, and Liam glanced between them.

"Look, I learned from my step-father, ok? Made team captain when he was a sophomore, like you." He added, nodding at Scott.

"Huh," Scott grinned, “Stiles? We’ll be late for Math if we don’t leave.”

“Right.” Stiles was avoiding looking at him now and Liam scowled, unsure of what was happening or what the older teenager had been going to say. 

He waited a moment, chewing on his bottom lip, before calling out, “Hey Stiles?”

Stiles looked back at Liam as his name was called. He gestured for Scott to go on without him and returned to stand in front of the Freshman. “Yeah?”

"Full moon, huh?"

"Um. Yeah, like really bright night, you can see the stars and the canopy and the trees and it’s, uh, yeah."

Liam took a breath, gathering his courage, looking around and then he leaned forward, lowering his voice, "Were you asking me out?"

Stiles blinked, knowing Scott could hear them in the corridor, maybe not the words, but probably his pounding heartbeat. He cleared his throat, pressed his lips together and half shrugged. "Maybe?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did say I'd update soon...Liam's eyes are green, right? I'm never sure.
> 
> Experimenting with the format a little. Lot of dialogue in this one, a lot of back and forth glances.


	3. Tryhard at the try-outs

Stiles rested his chin on one hand, eyes glazing over as he watched Lydia and Malia solve the Math equations. He wasn’t thinking about Kate Argent, or Mexico, or even Lacrosse try-outs this afternoon, Liam, the dreamy Freshman was the one thing on his mind. Stiles smiled to himself, remembering how the teenager’s eyes had locked onto his, in a way that just…clicked. And he was forward, not quite asking him out, but still. Of course, there had been the moment when Scott had just looked at him, a slight shake of the head, a disapproving wince and then nothing. No other reaction, other than a quick comment that Liam was “probably not a werewolf.” As if that was what should be deciding Stiles’ interest. His phone vibrated hard against his leg and Stiles pulled it out, brows furrowing as he saw the news alert; three dead. Three murdered.

Liam fidgeted in his seat, looking out the window, doodling on his history book, glancing at the clock every thirty seconds. In less than an hour he’d be back on the lacrosse field, back where he felt most comfortable. It was meant to be try-outs, today was all meant to be about getting on First-line and washing away everything that happened at Devenford. And it still was, but every time he thought about it now, it was Stiles that came into his mind. Sure, he’d had crushes before, but nothing ever came of them, and even though one of his friends, Mason, was gay, Liam wasn’t interested in him like that. Up until now, it had been a lot of longing and dreaming and thinking “One day!” But maybe now was that day? Stiles hadn’t really given him a real answer about whether that walk in the moonlight was a date or if the Junior was just playing with him. It was kind of crazy that Liam had already day-dreamed it out in his mind…

 

Stiles nodded along, only half-listening to Scott as he talked about his Kira problem, eyes scanning the locker room to see if he could find Liam. It wasn’t until his friend called his name that Stiles shrugged, “Look, Scott, go for it, but, like, talk to her. Seriously, you need to stop texting people with the big stuff.”

The Alpha grinned at him and Stiles breathed an internal sigh of relief; he didn’t really want to get involved in Scott’s love life, especially after what had happened with Alison and the Nogitsune. Stiles frowned, shaking his head slightly to purge the dark thoughts. Most of the team and those trying out had already left the locker room when Coach emerged to remind them that all the positions were open. Even Captain, it seemed. Scott huffed irritably and stalked out, avoiding Stiles’ attempt at a comforting gesture. He frowned, and then a smile tugged his lips as he realised it was just him and Liam in the locker room. Stiles felt his heart begin to pound and Liam grinned at him. He unconsciously moistened his lips, grabbing his lacrosse stick as Liam gestured for them to leave.

And then suddenly they were on the field. Liam found his attention wandering, eyes travelling around the field until he found Stiles, bent over and gasping. He took a step forward as if to move and help the teenager up, but a ball smacked into his faceguard. “Ow!”

“Dunbar! Get your head in the game!”

“Yes Coach,” He shouted back, shaking his head, suddenly angry with himself. He wasn't going to throw away everything he'd worked for over some guy, no matter how hot he was. _How incredibly hot and sexy and...yeah, I'm totally not distracted._

Stiles was getting his breath back when Scott helped him upright. Coach yelled for them to switch out, and Stiles’ eyes immediately found Liam, the Freshman pulling off his helmet, dropping his gloves to the ground and then following suit, effortlessly going from goal-keeping to push-ups. He felt a knot form in his stomach, groaning to himself, "Seriously? What is he, like a were-cheetah?"

Scott chuckled.

"Is that a real thing? Like, does that even exist?"

"Maybe he's just that good?"

"He's bloody perfect," Stiles muttered beneath his breath. "Ugh, I'm gonna puke."

 

Liam was right behind him as they lined up for target practice, Stiles fumbled with the ball so bad he couldn't even flick it up, so he just sighed and picked it up with his hand, only realising seconds later that he'd given Liam a sweet view of his ass. Stiles' cheeks reddened a little, but his embarrassment was easy to blame on the guys laughing at him. He moistened his lips, getting ready to strike.

Liam watched his movements, eyes lingering on the bare skin of Stiles' forearms, the back of his neck, he hadn't taken the opportunity to scope out his body during morning practice, and he wasn't sure he'd ever get the chance to the way Stiles was playing. The Junior tossed the ball straight into the keeper's waiting basket, Liam smirked a little, but he didn't laugh like the others, at least Stiles was on target, some of the others had soared over the goal.

Stiles swallowed his disappointment and walked to the back of the line. His eyes met Liam’s as he did so, the younger teen was smirking at him, mockingly, but the expression didn't reach his eyes; they were honest, warm, interested. Stiles frowned, but kept moving back, not wanting to draw any more attention than he had with that utter failure of an attack.

He stood beside Scott wordlessly as Liam flicked up the ball, and almost effortlessly put it into the goal. The younger teen whirled around, triumphant, his friends clapping and grinning at him, but Stiles saw the way Liam had turned to look for him, eyes seeking him out. Was he looking for praise, acknowledgment, or something else?

"Wow." Scott muttered.

"Yeah, he's perfect at everything." Stiles replied, his eyes not leaving Liam. 

He went around to the back of the line, standing next to Stiles this time as Scott moved up to the mark. The older teen glanced at him, expression hard to read, but Stiles’ attention was elsewhere, on his friend. Liam took the chance to let his eyes travel over the Junior’s body, memorising him in case there wasn’t a next time, in case the only times he’d ever see Stiles again was passing in the hallway. There was a clang as the ball hit the edge of the bar. Stiles grunted disappointedly, Liam brushed against his arm, "Hey, you got closer."

"Sure, but that's probably about as close as I'm going to get..." He laughed a little as his own poor performance, but adjusted his grip on the stick and sighed. “Let’s get this over with, I suck at attacking.”

Liam was on fire, slamming balls into the back of the net, and part of him was relieved to see Stiles score twice out of his next six attempts. They weren't the same age, no classes together, no mutual friends, this might be the only activity they could share, and it was an activity that resulted in showers and skin at the end of it! Even if nothing happened between them, that was prime jerk off material for later… He flung the final shot into the net and looked around for Stiles, ignoring the way Garret was bro-punching him, but the Junior had retreated to the other goal to talk to Scott.

 

“Dude, what the hell is going on?”

“I don’t know, I’m just having an off day.” Scott shrugged.

“What?” Stiles gestured wildly at him, hissing, “You’re a werewolf! You don’t have off days!”

“Well, I’m human on the field, remember?”

“Scott, you’re going to lose Captain if you stay human.” Stiles looked up in time to see Liam glance away. “Besides, are you sure that the 'perfect lacrosse star' over there isn’t using a little extra juice?”

“You still think he’s a werewolf?”

“I hope not.” Stiles replied quickly, then tried to back-track when Scott glared at him. “Uh, I mean, um, well, we don’t need any more werewolf-shaped complications.”

“Right, because that’s what you’re worried about.”

"I..." Stiles shook his head as Coach started yelling at them. “You need to get closer to him, see if he really is human.” He cut off whatever comment Scott was about to make by running over to the equipment pile and grabbing the long sticks. Stiles pulled his helmet on as he and Scott lined up for defense, this was usually his best position. His eyes swept down the line towards Liam, a small groan escaping his lips; the guy looked like a freaking prince with the hair and the eyes and that gorgeous face and...

"Stilinski!" 

Coach's bark broke Stiles out of his daydream and he held up his stick to signal that he was ready, Scott jogging into place beside him.

 

Liam frowned, confused, suddenly Scott became alive, on fire, taking out Garett and the next two players with ease and help from his best friend. He hid his smile as Stiles and Scott bashed helmets together, and then moved up to take his shot at the goal. He was running, dodging and then Scott tripped him, and he’s falling, wind-milling towards Stiles. Liam grunted as he collapsed on Stiles’ chest, bringing them both to the ground hard, air knocked out of their lungs.

Stiles blinked in surprise, looking into Liam's intense eyes, his face super-close. He was never more thankful for his cup which stopped his hard-on poking the 15-year-old. Stiles was suddenly aware of his hands holding Liam’s waist, the way the younger teenager was breathing hard, their helmets almost touching.

Liam blinked, remembering where he was, and stood up, cheeks flushing. Their contact was less than five seconds, not enough to be noticed, but enough that Scott was staring at him. Liam glanced at Coach. “Uh.”

“Dunbar, not bad. McCall, I like your spirit, but that was a foul. Do it again!” 

Stiles stood up with Scott’s help. "Thanks."

“Wasn’t I the one who was meant to get close to him?” The werewolf whispered to him.

“Err.” Stiles shrugged, “well, go again, I’ll intercept first.”

Liam was ready; he wasn’t angry because that was amazing and he half hoped it would happen again. His heart was pounding, jockstrap painfully tight, but Liam’s tongue darted out, and he flicked the ball into the pocket, starting his charge. Stiles jumped high to intervene and Liam ducked around him but found his way blocked by Scott’s shoulder, and before he knew it he was rolling over the Junior’s body, a savage crunch when his ankle crashed into the ground. Liam cried out in pain as fire erupted across his shin and left foot, rolling onto his side, hands clawing the grass. 

Stiles ripped his helmet off and moved immediately to help him as the Coach ran over. “Shit.” He muttered, wincing as Liam gasped, trying to stand up, tears in his eyes.

“I’m alright, Coach! I’m-argh!” He stumbled and Stiles helped him upright, the Freshman leaning on him until Scott came over to steady him. 

"Argh! It's my leg, ah." He muttered. “No, I’m fine, Coach. I’m…argh.”

Stiles tightened his grip, "I think we better get him to the Nurse." Coach gestured for them to go and Stiles urged him on, “C’mon Liam, it’s not far, just a few more steps, that’s it, ok, Scott, push open the door. Thanks. Ok, Liam, we’re nearly there now. It’s gonna be ok.” Liam looked at him, and nodded slowly, even as his eyes watered. Scott was silent, but Stiles didn't have the time to deal with his friend's guilt.

 

Liam looked up as the Nurse moved away to call the hospital and his step-dad, Stiles was pacing at the foot of the table he was lying on, chewing on his nails. "Stiles?"

"I'm sorry, Liam, Scott was just afraid he was going to lose captain to you." The Junior was trying to explain, justify his friend’s actions.

"So, he breaks my leg?" Liam replied angrily.

"He didn't mean-"

"No, I'm," Liam rolled his head back, grimacing as his ankle throbbed, "I'm not angry at you." He was about to say more when the Nurse returned to them.

Stiles looked at him, seeing how he was trying not to cry out with the pain, and the Junior moved close enough to brush a finger across the back of his hand comfortingly, discretely. Liam's eyes widened, staring at him. The door opened and Stiles pulled back as Scott returned. The werewolf paused, and then left immediately. Stiles stared after him, confused. _Uh, Scott? Dreamboat with potential broken leg here?_

Liam looked at Stiles, hoping he'd touch him again, but he didn't.

 

Stiles and Scott brought him to the ER after the Nurse said his step-father was in surgery and unable to get to him. Scott handled the talking as Stiles held him upright, one around secure on his waist, the other holding his wrist and hand at the shoulder. Liam leaned against him, partly because the pain was intense, but mostly because Stiles’ chest was surprisingly firm and muscular under his clothes, and there was something comforting about resting his head there. He felt Stiles shake him gently as a nurse came around the corner.

“Hey, Melissa.” Stiles glanced at Liam, explaining, “Scott’s Mom. It’ll be alright, Liam.”

“Um, ok.”

Liam looked at Stiles as he was lowered into the wheelchair, his blood pounding, fear making his breath come in short puffs. He resisted letting go of Stiles' hand, until Melissa knelt beside him, "Don't worry, Liam, we'll take good care of you." He glanced back at Stiles as he was being wheeled away.

 

Stiles could feel Scott’s eyes and knew there was no point trying to conceal it. “Yeah, I know.”

“You’ve known him for, what? Twelve hours? Seriously, Stiles?”

He shrugged, “So? We've hit it off, sometimes that's all it takes.” 

“You’ve had some really bad taste in the past, but this? He’s a Freshman!”

“It’s only two years, Scott.” Stiles shook his head, “Besides, what are you expecting me to do to him?”

“Uh, nothing,” Scott looked surprised, “I just meant, be careful, Stiles.”

“I will.”

“Maybe it’s not you, maybe it’s just…” Scott trailed off as his best friend nodded. 

“You feel guilty?”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t.” Stiles caught his gaze, “It’s just a stupid sports injury. Lacrosse is rough, and yeah, we’re older than him, so maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing ever to play with, uh, extra strength.”

“He might never play again.” Scott replied morosely.

“Hey, let it go, Scott. It mightn’t be as bad as it looks.” 

“Stiles?”

He turned around to see Melissa beckon him over. “Yeah?”

“The doctor’s going to be a while. Liam is asking for you.”

“Oh.”

“Room 34C.”

 

Stiles offered him a smile, Liam, sitting up on his elbows. “Feeling any better?”

“No, still hurts.”

“What? No ice? Tsk!” Stiles tutted and grimaced when he saw the swollen ankle. Liam tried to sit up properly, but Stiles pushed him down, "No, no, stay put."

"But...is it bad?"

"Uh, nope, no, you'll be up and around in no time!" Stiles grinned at him-no werewolf hearing to detect the lie- as Liam frowned at him cynically but lay back.

“If you say so.”

“I do.” Stiles pulled up a chair and they sat in silence, not uncomfortable silence, but not touching either.

Liam looked up as his step-father entered the room, Stiles standing to leave. He nodded when the Junior said he’d wait outside. Liam watched him disappear, eyes turning to his step-dad. “Hey.”

“You can sit up.”

Liam grunted with pain, but managed it, looking at the damaged ankle. "Damn it." Tears pricked the back of his eyes, but he held them back, "It's broken, isn't it?"

"It's definitely going to need an x-ray."

"It's broken, and it's my fault." Liam said sullenly, head down, hands in his lap.

"You want to tell me what happened?"

"I went up against two Juniors." He replied thickly, nodding at the closed door, "Stiles and the other guy who brought me in, Scott. I just wanted to impress...Coach." He changed his words at the last minute. His step-dad was frowning at him and Liam shrugged, "One of them is captain of the team."

"Uh huh. Now, now, Liam, remember what we always said; play smart, not hard." His step-father rested a hand on his shoulder, "Impressing Coach, huh? Sure it wasn't someone else? The, uh, captain, perhaps?"

"No, Stiles isn't-" Liam stopped himself as the doctor smirked. Then he asked in a small voice, "Are you mad at me?"

"No, no, of course not. Look, we should both wait for the x-ray to come back, before we start to panic." 

Liam watched him go and heard some muttered words outside his door, then Stiles came back inside.

“Hi, Liam. Is it…?” He gestured vaguely.

“Won’t know until the x-ray.” Liam shrugged, but then smiled slightly, “Guess we won’t be going on that moonlit walk after all.”

“Oh?” Stiles arched a brow, “I’m sure we can figure something out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A much longer chapter, mainly because I realized when editing it that I wrote most of it in the present tense XD
> 
> I'm not going to tag this as underage, even though there are a few sexual references, since it's the sort of thoughts most teenage boys have. And they haven't actually done anything with each other yet. 
> 
> Also, every chapter title won't rely on alliteration!


	4. Bitten

Stiles looked up as soon as he heard a werewolf's roar on the floor above them. "Wait here." He muttered and ran out the door, searching for Scott.

Liam blinked, but Stiles was gone. There was another loud growl, this time with some snarling and Liam frowned, trying to look out into the hallway as a door slammed. He concentrated when he heard footstep nearby. “Stiles?” He called out nervously, but there was no answer. The teenager swung himself out of bed, gingerly applying pressure to his ankle. It hurt numbly, the painkillers he had been given earlier were working. There was no one in the corridor, Liam glanced around, muttering, "I thought I heard someone..." He turned back to see another boy about his own age walking towards him. “What…?” Liam started as he saw the teen’s mouth, face, hands, all of him covered in blood and viscera, his teeth bared, except those weren't teeth. He scrambled backward but the monster was faster and dove on him, “No! Ahhh!” Any further noise was cut off as the teenager dragged him towards the stairwell, bloody hand clamped around his mouth.

He didn't have a chance; the monster was too strong; arm around his neck as they balanced on the top of the roof. Liam struggled fruitlessly, hearing another voice, it was familiar but deep, he couldn’t place it. The guy was saying something about help, _Yeah! I need help!_

The monster shook him hard and Liam missed the next sentence, something about wendigos and food. He yelped as the other guy charged the rooftop, falling backwards towards the distant ground, hands scraping the rough concrete ledge, struggling for grip as he hung off the side. Suddenly Scott was there, grabbing his arms as the monster returned. Except it didn’t look like Scott. Maybe it was the darkness, or the fear, or the fact he was dangling off the roof, but Liam could have sworn the Junior’s eyes were red. “Help me!” He called out, shoulders and arms straining as his grip slipped. "I can't hold on!" His fingers released and then terrible pain shot down his arm, blood spilling into his face, the feeling that something had bitten his arm made him panic, legs swinging. But that just made the pain worse.

Liam curled into a ball when he was dragged back over the ledge, crying softly, holding his bleeding wrist to his chest. He glanced up to see Scott standing nearby, _There’s definitely something with his face, and his eyes are red!_ Liam pulled himself into a sitting position, his ankle throbbing, right hand clamped across his bitten left arm, his hands tacky with the already drying blood.

 

Stiles skidded to a halt on the polished floors, pulling himself inside Liam’s room, “Hey, we gotta-” He broke off, seeing the empty bed, covers thrown back. “Shit, no, no, no. Why didn’t you stay put?” Stiles pulled out his phone and then cursed silently. “I never got your number, good job, Stiles.” He left the room and almost collided with Melissa. “Oh, sorry. Uh, hey, wait! Where's-”

“Scott’s on the roof.”

“Uh, no, I don’t think so, I just came from there, my Dad has it locked up tight. Do you know where-” He frowned, feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket. “Hang on, Scott? Yeah, I’ve been-what? What do you mean something’s happened to Liam? Well, where are you? Ok, ok, no, calm down, Scott. I’m on my way.” Stiles glanced at Melissa, “Sorry, I need to go.”

She nodded resignedly and Stiles took off down the corridor, dodging a pair of deputies as he did so.

 

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on, Scott?” Stiles demanded as his friend opened the door. “You didn’t make much sense over the phone. What happened?”

“I…” Scott shrugged helplessly and Stiles gestured at him,

“Well, where’s Liam? It has something to do with him, right?”

“Yeah, kinda, definitely. He’s, um, upstairs, lying down.” Scott added, nodding vigorously as Stiles frowned at him, not convinced.

“Lying down?”

“Yup.” He avoided Stiles' eyes.

“Show me.” Stiles followed Scott to his room, glancing at the empty bed, a sinking feeling in his gut as the Alpha led him into the bathroom. Scott pulled back the shower curtain. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Scott!” Stiles cried out, seeing Liam tied up in duct tape, “What the hell did you do?”

Liam looked up at Stiles, struggling in vain against his bonds, trying to speak around the piece of tape on his mouth. Scott gestured at him and Liam shrunk back, his eyes locking onto Stiles, trying to convey something, anything, that would get him out of the restraints. 

"Release him."

"Stiles, he's-"

"I said, let him go, Scott!" Stiles demanded as Liam nodded furiously.

"Uh, we need to talk first." Scott pulled Stiles out of the bathroom, an iron hard grip on his arm, the teenager had no choice but to go, Liam protesting fiercely behind him, bouncing up and down in the tub.

“What?” 

"I might have, err, accidentally, um, bit him." Scott replied hesitantly as they sat down on the bed, side-by-side.

"And you kidnapped him?"

"Yeah."

"And you brought him here," Stiles continued, sighing.

"I panicked." Scott replied, looking at Stiles, "Are you going to help me?"

"Help you with what?” Stiles glared at him, “You turned a teenager into a werewolf, no, wait, you _bit_ a teenager who might become a werewolf, or he might just die! And then, you took him back to your lair, Scott! Seriously? Why him? Why did it have to be the one guy I was interested in? Huh?!”

“What? It wasn’t like that!” Scott replied, surprised. “I didn’t do it deliberately!” 

Liam's strangled yelling got louder and Stiles sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Ok, here’s what we’re gonna do: you explain the werewolf crap and I’ll…well, I’ll try and smooth everything over and then he might only hate me from a distance since it was my best friend who turned him into a werewolf.” Stiles muttered the last part. Scott stared at him. “Go on! Grab Liam and bring him out here.” He stood up and pulled a chair into the center of the room as Scott carried Liam in from the bath and dumped him onto it. Stiles rolled his eyes as Scott taped the younger teenager’s shins to the legs of the chair. “Hey, go easy, that’s his wounded ankle.” He looked into Liam’s frightened eyes, “Hey, uh, ok, I’m going to take the tape off.”

"Stiles, are you sure that's wise?"

"You, shut up! "Stiles hissed at Scott and knelt down in front of Liam, reaching up to gently pull the tape away from his face. "Ok?"

"Mmmh," He grunted in pain and glared accusingly at Scott, "You bit me!"

"Um, Stiles?" The Alpha looked at him helplessly.

"Well, ok, so, a lot of confusing things happened tonight, and you saw a lot of confusing things and more confusing things are going to happen because of the confusing things that already happened." Stiles took a breath, "Understand?"

“Not really,” Liam frowned at him and shook his head. “What do you want?”

“Scott?” Stiles turned to the Alpha, “Do you want to give him the talk?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keeping the chapters short, since I want to be able to update this fic quickly.


	5. The Talk

"The talk?" Liam echoed, "What talk? Not that...talk..." He trailed off and stared at them, anger beginning to out-weigh the fear. "Wha…what the hell do you guys want with me?! Let me go! I’m not doing-"

“Hey!” Stiles barked, “Take it easy, it’s not that kind of…Scott, just tell him.”

"Liam, what I did, which is what I had to do in order to save you...is going to, err, um, change you." Scott finished off lamely.

Stiles sighed and added, "Unless it kills you." 

"Stiles!" Scott looked at him, alarmed, but the teenager shrugged.

"He needs to know, and you don't get to sugar-coat it when you were the one who turned him."

"Turned?" Liam looked at Stiles, "What? Wait, I’m gonna die?! I don’t…oh," He sniffled and let his breathing tighten. _These guys are crazy, I don’t care how hot he is, or what sort of crazy initiation they’ve got going on, I need to get out of here!_ Liam ducked his head to try and stop them from noticing that he was crying, or letting tears gather in his eyes.

 

"Oh god." Stiles muttered, kneeling down to look at the Freshman, "Hey, Liam, come on, you're going to be alright," He reached out and put a hand on the boy's knee. _Shit._ Liam gave a big sob and Stiles looked back at Scott, "Will you untie him, please?"  
"Yeah, yeah, of course."

 

Liam took a deep breath, steadying himself after the tape was broken behind him. His wrists weren’t as sore as he’d been expecting and he let them hang by his sides. Stiles had pulled back, glaring at Scott. The captain of the lacrosse team looked uncomfortable.

“Liam, uh,”

The teenager didn’t give him time to finish, instead his hands found the back of the chair and he stood up suddenly, swinging the chair around and smashing it to pieces against Scott’s ribs. The Junior went down hard, and Stiles staggered, but remained upright. Liam glared at him, “Get out of the way!”

"Liam?! What the hell?" Stiles cried at him, but Liam ignored it, feeling the volcanic rage bubbling beneath the surface rise up and explode out of him. He curled his hand into a fist and punched Stiles hard enough that the teenager went sprawling into the press by the bathroom door. Liam jumped over the tangle of legs and onto the hallway floor. He slipped and kept his balance, looking down at his socks. _My ankle doesn’t hurt, in fact it’s perfect._ The teen glanced at his bloody sleeve and grimaced, the wound had stopped bleeding, but the bite mark was visible. He shuddered and looked back to see Scott and Stiles fall out of the door behind him. 

 

Stiles grabbed the doorframe for support, rubbing his jaw where Liam had hit him. _Damn, he can throw a punch, and he’s even cuter when he’s angry…_ “Ugh, hey, we’re not trying to hurt you, Liam!”

“Yeah right!” He called back.

Stiles looked at Scott and nodded. They scrambled upright and charged down the hallway, colliding with Liam and together tumbling down the stairs. The teenager was faster than Stiles expected and in the confusion and struggle, Liam managed to slip away. “I got him!” Stiles cried out triumphantly, hugging the foot to his chest. “You’re not getting away now!”

“Stiles!” Scott glared at him and Stiles let go of his foot.

“Sorry.” He muttered, and looked out the open door, “Great job, Scott.”

"Me? You're the one who fell for his helpless, crying act!"

"Hey, he's cute, and I like him. Yeah, even after he punched me in the face!" Stiles protested. _There goes my chance of a real relationship, cursory of another McCall screw-up, what's that, four now?_ "We need to find him."

"He'll go towards water, like they all do."

"Oh, and you know the best part, Scott?" Stiles said sarcastically.

"What?"

"Full moon tomorrow night."

"Ugh..."


	6. The Truth, Eventually

Stiles threw the last of the heavy chains and steel cuffs into the bag and stood up, lifting it with a grunt. It was all for Malia; he had been helping Scott, Kira, and Lydia to restrain the were-coyote every full moon. She was getting better at controlling the shift, but she still turned into a wild animal at the height of the moon’s rise. He paused, staring at the bag, wondering if he should be doing the same for Liam now. Scott couldn’t find him the night before, and Stiles didn’t sleep; tossing and turning restlessly as he wondered where the Freshman was. Maybe Liam had just gone home and he was being paranoid and over-protective. _Over-protective…Should I even feel that way when he’s not mine to protect?_

 

Liam slowed his pace when he reached the arriving school buses. He hadn’t meant to sleep in, and with his Mom on that business trip to Portland, his step-Dad on call, Liam decided he’d run. Well, less decided, and more he had to. It seemed crazy at first, but after ten minutes, he felt as though he could keep running for miles. That was the unnerving part, that was why his heart was pounding, his lungs burning; the teenager grabbed a nearby pillar and tried to calm down, taking a few deep breaths.

“Hey, Liam?”

He looked up as Mason stared at him, “Hey.” Liam glanced around at the other students, looking for Stiles or Scott, but he didn’t see them. “Hi.”

“Uh, why weren’t you on the bus?”

"I, um, I ran."

"You ran three miles to school?" Mason shook his head, disbelieving.

"Yeah." He took a deep breath and shrugged, "Cardio, you know." Liam tried to act casual, but the way his best friend was staring told him he was failing.

“Looks like your ankle is better?”

“Um, yeah, I guess.”

“But what happened to your arm?”

Liam looked down at his pushed-up sleeves, the thick dressing on his left arm, blood had seeped through from his exertions this morning. But it was weird, like he could almost _feel_ the wound healing, skin knitting itself back together. Liam touched the bandage and the world swam before his eyes. He doubled over, and tried to control his breathing, but couldn't; everything felt overwhelming. Liam could faintly hear Mason calling his name, and then a hand on his back, soothing circles, the world returning to sharp clarity with a snap. It was a different voice, different person than his best friend. Liam looked to his right and blinked when he saw Stiles standing beside him and, obviously, it was his hand on his back. "You...you're not real," He gasped, "You can't be!"

Stiles quirked his brow and glanced at Liam's friend, "I'm pretty sure I’m real, and I’m here, beside you, see?" He held out his hand to Liam and the teenager reached up, a little unsteadily at first, and traced his fingers across Stiles' palm.

"I’m sorry." Liam whispered. “For last night, when I-”

"It's fine." Stiles moistened his lips, looking at the other Freshman; the teen was freaked out, "Hey, um?"

"Mason,"

"Mason, can, give us a minute?" Stiles waited until he left, offering a small smile when Mason glanced over his shoulder at them. The Junior leant on the railing beside Liam, their shoulders brushing. "It's started, already hasn't it? Your foot is better, senses sharper, which just means everything’s a little too loud, a little too bright. We should've told you everything last night, but we didn't exactly have time." 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Liam muttered, avoiding Stiles’ eyes. “I’m…I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.” Stiles shook his head, “Come with me, talk to Scott, he’s the only who can really explain this. It’s his place, not mine.”

“But you, um.” He stopped speaking and instead huffed his breath, “I don’t know.”

“Liam, you know you’ve changed, you can feel it, and I can see it. Please, just listen to what he has to say.” The younger teenager looked at him, brow furrowed and Stiles gestured, “Well?”

Liam too the opportunity to let his eyes sweep over Stiles’ face, and down to his blue hoodie, loose but hanging in the right places. He swallowed and his eyes darted back up to the expectant Junior. “Uh, will you come with, err, will you be there?” 

"Of course."

“Ok.” Liam nodded and followed him towards the locker room, spotting Scott waiting for them outside in the corridor. He stopped when Stiles did and glared at Scott. “Well?”

Stiles nodded encouragingly and Scott moistened his lips.

“Liam,” 

The Alpha stopped, mouth forming words, but nothing came out and Stiles began to wince, _This is already so awkward, please don’t…_

“Liam, we’re brothers now!”

"What?"

"Oh god, that's...ugh." Stiles muttered, avoiding Liam's eyes as he glanced at him.

Liam looked back at Scott, anger filling his voice. "What are you talking about? We just met and you bit me!"

"The bite..." Scott’s eyes lit up as he seized on the idea.

Stiles saw it coming and shook his head vigorously, _Oh, no, no, no, oh fuck!_

"...the bite is a gift!"

"Scott! Stop, please stop." Stiles moved from behind Liam to take his friend by the arm. "Will you just tell him?"

"I'm trying, I-"

"Tell me what? What is it?!" Liam demanded, his hands curling into fists as he sought to control the rage bubbling under the surface.

"Something's happening to you, something big." Scott replied vaguely.

"Nothing is happening to me! Nothing!" Liam said furiously and ripped the dressing off, smooth skin where there was once a deep bite. “See?!”

Stiles' eyes fixed on it and he shook his head, "You're a wizard, Liam!" He quipped in his worst English accent, the teen stared at him, "Well, more like a werewolf." Stiles added in a more normal tone.

"Stiles!" Scott said warningly.

"Hey, you were tiptoeing around the issue, he needs to know, the full moon is tonight!"

“Wha…you…” Liam looked between them, not believing. The bell rang out overhead, louder than before, it seemed. The Freshman winced, but he turned swiftly before Stiles or Scott could continue to lie to him. _I’m fine, I just, I must heal fast, that’s all. Yeah._

 

“Well done, Stiles.” Scott glared at him.

“Huh? Oh, yeah.” He tore his eyes away from Liam’s retreating back and pressed his lips together. “Plan B?”

“There’s a Plan B?” Scott replied, bewildered.

“Scott,” Stiles grinned at him in mock pity, “There’s always a Plan B!”


	7. Plan B

Stiles followed Scott in between the two parked buses, nodding at Malia, Kira, and Lydia, “Hey.”

“Your Mom still letting you use the lake house?” Scott asked Lydia. “We might have an extra guest for your basement.”

“What?” Malia barked, shaking her head. “No way am I sharing!”

“You want to put Liam in the basement with her?” Stiles glanced at Malia and then Scott, “Are you mad? Malia, you know I love you, but on full moons you’re crazy!”

Scott sighed and looked between them. “Well where else are we going to put him? I can’t let him go through the first one alone, I remember how bad I was, and we at least kinda knew what was happening.”

“The boathouse,” Lydia suggested, “It has sturdy supporting beams you can tie him to.”

Stiles glared at her, but sighed when the others looked at him. “Fine.”

“How are we going to get him there?” Kira asked, glancing at Scott. “He doesn’t trust any of us.”

“Party.” Stiles said after a moment’s silence. “You throw a party and we can use the distraction to pull him away.”

“Ok,” Lydia nodded slowly, “It’s not exactly what I told my Mom we’d be doing but, it’ll get him there.”

"So, what, you're going to ask out a Freshman?" Stiles smirked.

“No,” She looked at him, “You are.”

"What?"

"C'mon Stiles, you already like him." Scott said, failing to hide his grin.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure I want our first date to be me chaining him to a post in Lydia's boathouse, no offense."

"You can spend time with him before that, get to know him, figure him out," She encouraged him, Stiles avoided their eyes and huffed.

_Why are you making such a big deal? You like him! Go for it! Wouldn’t be the first rejection either so…_ “Alright.” The teenager said reluctantly, even though he was secretly pleased. “I’ll ask him.”

 

Liam looked up as Stiles walked down the bleachers towards him. The soccer team were having their try-outs on the pitch in front of them. He hadn’t touched his lunch, the sight of food made him nauseous, or maybe it was the smell of it, all of it in the cafeteria. The Freshman frowned at Stiles. _What does he want now?_

“Hey Liam,” The older teenager’s voice was friendly. “Uh, so, um, look, there’s, err there’s this party tonight-” 

Liam snorted, interrupting Stiles. He shook his head bitterly, “You tell me that I’m a _werewolf_ and then you…you’re asking me out, right?”

“Right. Can I?” Stiles pointed at the bench beside him, sitting down when Liam shrugged. “Look, I was gonna ask you out for real, maybe last night, or after practice, but the hospital wasn’t the right place, and then with Scott and the bite…it all went sideways.”

“Really?” Liam frowned at him, _Does he just get up looking that hot, or, err, focus!_ He swallowed, “I don’t know.”

“Well…”

He knew Stiles was talking, but this incredible smell had reached him, it was strong, and sweet, and heady all at once. He wasn’t sure, but it was almost like was coming from Stiles. Liam leaned over slightly and inhaled deeply. _Woah! That’s him! Oh my god, I think I’m drooling…_

"Hey? Liam?" Stiles pushed him gently and the younger teenager blinked, sitting upright, his cheeks flushing. “Are you ok?”

“What? Err, yeah, I.” His tongue darted out to wet his lips and Stiles’ eyes locked on to it. “You were asking me out?”

“Yes.” 

"Uh," Liam hesitated for a minute, he wasn’t sure what was holding him back. If this had been yesterday, if Scott had never bitten him and things turned weird, he would’ve said yes to Stiles five minutes ago. "Um."

“It doesn't have to be the two of us, you can bring your friends as well.” Stiles looked out at the soccer players, “There’ll be plenty of other people there, Freshmen too, if you think it’ll all be older kids.”

"Ok."

"Wait, really?" Stiles grinned at him, eyes sparkling in the midday sun.

"Yeah." Liam returned his smile. _First time I’ve been asked out, and by this handsome guy? Yeah, I gotta go._

“Great, um, give me your number, I’ll pick you up.”

“Cool.” Liam took Stiles phone and handed him his own.

Stiles looked at him as he entered his digits, _Damn, he’s cute, and that smile; kick my stomach into orbit and my heart will follow!_ “Thanks, nine, ok? We’ll be a little early, but…”

“Nine is good. Here’s my address.” Liam took out a piece of paper and jotted it down. “See you later.”

 

Liam unbuttoned his shirt again, changing his mind after looking in the mirror. It was almost nine and Stiles would be there soon. The teenager grabbed another one, white cotton and nodded, slipping his arms inside. He glanced back at the mess on his bed, trying to ignore the fact that he had spent the last ninety minutes trying out five different outfits until he had a combination he liked. With his step-Dad still on call, and his Mom out of state, he had the house to himself, but that just meant more time walking around shirtless as he tried to figure out which shirt and jacket would go best with his jeans. He didn’t call Mason other than to invite him tonight, the guy’s taste was a little too bling and colorful for Liam. Of course, he hadn’t exactly told his best friend about this being a date with Stiles either. He wasn’t embarrassed, but this was his first one, and with a guy that genuinely liked him. Liam wasn’t sure about Scott, though. Every time he thought about the lacrosse captain his blood boiled, and rage threatened to engulf him. But he had stayed calm, well aside from breaking a chair across the guy. Liam was interrupted from his thoughts as a horn beeped from outside. He ran to the window and looked out to see Stiles’ distinctive blue Jeep parked on the curb.

Stiles leaned over and opened the door, smiling when Liam sat inside. “Damn, you look great!”

“Thanks,” Liam grinned and looked at Stiles, “You look, uh, amazing.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Stiles laughed and pulled his flannel shirt out. Liam’s eyes were drawn to his rolled-up sleeves, and the older teenager grinned, biceps bunching when he reached down to push the Jeep into gear. “You ready?”

“Yeah.”

Stiles gunned the engine, pushing Liam back into his seat, he tapped his phone’s screen and music began to play. “Tell me if it’s too loud, or whatever.”

“It’s fine.” Liam watched him as they drove, looking away whenever Stiles glanced at him, the Junior grinning.

 

As they moved out of Beacon Hills and towards Lydia’s lake house, the road became less even and Stiles swerved more aggressively to avoid potholes. He didn’t slow down however and Liam grimaced at every bump, even the ones that Stiles didn’t seem to notice. It was like he felt everything harder and at a higher sensitivity than before. Even the music was too loud now. Liam winced and rested his forehead on the cool glass.

Stiles looked at him and killed the music, “Hey, are you ok?”

“It…hurts.” Liam muttered, “Everything’s so loud.”

“Hearing sensitivity, you’ll get that for the next few days.” Stiles explained, “It all gets dialled up to a hundred when the full moon is out, of course. Do you want to keep going, or?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” Liam nodded furiously, “Please.”

“Great.” Stiles slowed a little in order to pat the Freshman’s shoulder. “We’re nearly there.”

Liam nodded and pulled out his vibrating phone. _Mason, he wants to know where I am, I mean I told him I was going, did he think we were going together?_

“Everything alright?”

“Yeah, it’s nothing.” He looked back at Stiles, “Who did you say would be at this party?”

“Everyone,” Stiles replied, smiling. “No one throws a better party in Beacon Hills than Lydia!”

 

The clouds parted as Stiles pulled off the trail towards the lake, and the moon shone brightly into the Jeep. He looked quickly to one side, “Are you…”

“I…I don’t know.” Liam muttered, his breathing becoming hard to catch, chest tight, sweat forming a sheen on his skin. Stiles flicked the air con to cold and Liam nodded his thanks.

“You’ll be alright. Just try and stay calm and we’ll be inside soon.”

“Will that, err, make a difference?”

“Not really.” Stiles admitted.

"Werewolves and full moons, right?"

“Yeah,” Stiles grinned at him encouragingly, “Fight for control, and you're a fresh wolf, it's not going to affect you as much, I hope.”

Liam glanced at him, "This is really real then?"

"Welcome to my world."

 

“Where is everyone?” Liam asked as he got out, the house was lit but the gravelled area outside was empty save for two other cars and a motorbike. “Is-”

“They’re probably inside, and we’re early.” The older teen’s tone was reassuring and calm, Liam nodded and followed Stiles inside.

“You’re here.” A female voice said as they walked towards the kitchen. “About time.”

“Lydia.” Stiles smiled at her and pulled Liam’s sleeve to get him to come closer. “This is Liam; she knows why you’re here.” He added for the Freshman’s benefit.

“Why do I suddenly feel like this was a trap?” Liam gave a nervous laugh just as Scott and two others emerged from the shadows.

“It’s your first full moon, you don’t want to do that on your own.” Scott said, gesturing at the brown-haired girl beside him. “This is Malia, were-coyote, and Kira, Kitsune-fox spirit.”

“Uhh.”

“I’m a werewolf, as you know, and Lydia is a Banshee.” Scott finished the introductions, looking at him for a reaction. Liam didn’t know what to say, instead he glanced at Stiles.

“And you?”

“Just a human.” He exchanged a look with Scott. “Well, uh, I was possessed by an evil fox spirit. Very evil. But I’m better, like seriously, as regular as anyone. Which I guess if you’re comparing to people here, not that-”

“Stiles!” Scott hissed, cutting him off.

“Right, um, I’m just me, Liam.”

“Ok.” The Freshman looked away from Stiles. “This, the full moon, what’s going to happen?”

“You’re going to shift, turn into a werewolf.”

“Well, partly, you won’t actually be a wolf.” Stiles added to Scott’s explanation. “And then you’re dangerous; claws, fangs, extra strength. You could lose control, hurt someone. We can’t really let you do that.”

“Again.” Scott muttered, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

_What did you just say?!_ Liam flushed as anger rushed through him. He turned away, clenched fists shaking. _This fucking guy!_ “Err, can I use your bathroom?”

“Second door on the left.” Lydia pointed.

Stiles waited until he had gone before glaring at the Alpha, “What the hell was that about, Scott?”

“I figured out why he was kicked out of Devenford Prep. Look.” He held up his phone showing a trashed car.

“This is your fault,” Stiles muttered, looked at the photo. “Hey, at least he can spell!”

“Stiles, he did this to his teacher’s car.” Scott replied in a low voice. “With a crowbar. He’s got serious anger issues.”

“Yeah, well, he’s still bitten, Scott. This only proves we need to keep an eye on him.”

“STILES!” 

The shout came from the bathroom down the hallway. He looked at Scott and together they ran towards the door. It was unlocked and the teenager burst in to find Liam on his knees on the tiled floor, head in his hands, rocking back and forth.

“You ok, Liam?” Stiles asked, slowly bending down on his haunches, hand out-stretched. When his fingers brushed the Freshman’s shoulder, Liam’s eyes snapped up, burning yellow. “Oh shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update will be Sunday, most likely, working on _Building a Better Chimera_ tomorrow and Saturday.


	8. Forging the Bond

“Stiles, be careful.” Scott warned him, but Stiles shook his head slowly.

“It’s alright. Ok, Liam, I know you’re probably freaking out right now, just stay, agh!” Stiles grimaced when the young werewolf’s hand shot out, grabbing his arm hard. Scott was about to speak, but he waved his best friend off. “It’s ok. I got this.” He stood slowly, bringing Liam up with him. “That’s it, ok. Strong grip, but he’s not hurting me.”

"Yet." Scott replied, glancing out the door as lights came through the window. “Guess the party is here. Lydia, will you…?”

“Of course,” She muttered and walked towards the front door. “Welcome!”

“We need to get Liam to the boathouse,” Stiles said, backing out of the bathroom, towards the kitchen.

“Alright, let’s-” Scott moved closer to assist him, but Liam snarled menacingly, fangs emerging.

Stiles winced as the werewolf’s claws tightened on his bare skin, but he was still able to walk towards the back door, guiding Liam with him. The werewolf looked suspiciously at Scott, and didn’t release Stiles even as he struggled with the handle. “Liam, I need to…Can you…Are really going to hold onto me all night?”

“Mine.” He muttered, glaring at Scott.

Stiles blushed, his ears turning red. “Uh, we might want to go on more than one date to establish that. Ah, finally.”

 

They managed to make it to the boathouse before the moon emerged from behind the clouds, the young werewolf bucked as the beams fell on him. “Fuck!” Stiles cried out as Liam’s claws slipped, slicing across his arm. He grabbed his arm with his other hand, blood welling between his fingers and backed off.

Scott moved aggressively forward, blocking Liam’s attempts to reach for Stiles again. “No! Force him back against the pillar, Kira!”

Liam snapped and growled at them, but Scott pushed him down, his hands on his arms, trying to keep him from getting to Stiles. “Mine!” He growled, not really aware of what he was saying, a red mist descending over his eyes. Liam hesitated as his eyes connected with Stiles’, seeing the pain in the older teen’s. Scott used the momentary distraction to throw the thick steel chains around his chest. 

Stiles grabbed a nearby cloth and applied pressure to his arm. “Fucking werewolves.”

“Are you ok?” Kira glanced him, handing Scott another bundle of chains.

“Yeah, I’m-Watch out!” Stiles shouted as Liam broke lose, throwing Scott to the ground. Before he knew what was happening, Stiles found himself pinned to the wall, Liam’s face close to his, yellow eyes boring into his own, one clawed hand at his collarbone. The teen darted a look at the werewolf’s raised claws. “Liam, please, stop.” His voice was surprisingly calm, “You don’t want to do this, c’mon, control it.” Liam snarled wordlessly, his free hand reaching back. Stiles shut his eyes, expecting the blow, but nothing came. Slowly he opened his eyes; the werewolf was still frothing at the mouth, still crazed and panting, claws raised, but somehow, he had managed to stop the attack. 

Kira appeared behind Liam, with an oar in her hands, Stiles winced as she bashed Liam over the head. The werewolf collapsed in a heap. “Uh…Thank you.” He muttered, sliding down the wall. 

"Oh, god, I didn't kill him, did I?" 

"No, he'll be fine.” Stiles crawled over to Liam, checking under his head. “No bleeding, and he’ll heal fast anyway. Thanks, Kira, he stopped himself, but let’s just secure him anyway.”

“You alright, Stiles?” Scott offered him a hand up.

“Yeah.” 

He helped Scott and Kira tie loops of steel chain around Liam’s torso and the support pillar. The werewolf was still out cold when Scott and Kira stood up. “No, I’ll wait with him.” Stiles said, sitting on a mooring post. “It’s not like he’s going to break free with all that metal on him. First one’s the hardest, right?”

“Sure,” Scott replied uneasily. “Just, call me, if you need to, Stiles.”

“Will do.” He studied the Beta, talking to himself, as Liam slept. “Looks peaceful, and young. Only fifteen, take things slow, Stiles, no matter what else.” Stiles looked at his arm, peeling away the cloth. “Ah, hurts, super-sharp claws. And he didn’t mean to do that, imagine the damage when he does. Devenford Prep, more to that story for sure, but, still a lot of anger.” He lapsed into silence, turning to look out at the lake, moonlight rippling across the water. The party was distant, the only sounds clearly carrying were the insects chirping nearby. Fog began to float above the lake, and time slipped by, Stiles stared at the water, not thinking of anything in particular. He frowned, feeling a prickle on his neck. Stiles turned back and found himself transfixed by the bright yellow eyes of Liam Dunbar.

 

Liam had shifted fully; pointed ears, protruding brow and teeth, claws sliding out from his nails again. Stiles stood slowly as the werewolf mirrored him, the chains bulging against his chest. “Oh, shit.” There was a moment of tension as Liam strained against his bonds, before the links burst apart, showering the boathouse in shrapnel. Stiles covered his face with his arms, hearing a crash of glass. “What? Oh, come on!” He called after the retreating shape; Liam had jumped through the nearby window. Stiles grumbled incoherently, before sighing and taking off after the Freshman.

 

He was sprinting through the forest, no thoughts in his mind, focusing only on the moon, on running, on his claws, his fangs, stopping as a strange smell hit him, or a new sound assaulted his hyper-sensitive ears. Liam frowned, there _was_ something else, someone else, the memories slipped and he started moving again.

Stiles leaned against a tree to catch his breath. It was easy to follow Liam; the werewolf snarled and roared, sometimes moving on two legs, other times dropping to his hands and feet. _Ok, so, Scott wasn’t like this, should’ve brought the damn Jeep. Let’s go!_ Stiles stood up again and started running, but Liam had stopped just ahead of him, crouching at the water’s edge, looking first at the moon overhead, and then down at its reflection in the rippling surface of the lake. Stiles watched him, a strange smile tugging at his lips. It was almost cute. Just as he was about to move closer, an arrow spiralled out of the forest behind him, landing with a thud in a tree beside Liam. Stiles stared at it, and turned to look behind him. “Hunters?” The arrow exploded in a burst of white light and a shower of sparks, spooking the werewolf. Liam screamed in alarm and ran away, much faster than before. Stiles had looked away just in time, feeling the heat on the back of his neck. When he glanced around for the werewolf, Liam had disappeared. There was no sign of the mysterious archer either. “Damn it.” 

 

Stiles tossed and turned in his sheets, unable to sleep. He had returned to the party, telling Scott that he had lost Liam, the werewolf had been attacked by some Hunter out in the forest. His best friend was concerned, said he’d look for Liam himself, but that Stiles should go home. He had agreed, tiredness pulling at him, eyes drooping as he drove back to Beacon Hills. But now that he was in bed, all Stiles could think about was Liam out there, alone, not knowing what was going on, not knowing who he was or what had happened to him. 

Stiles rolled over, glancing at his clock, the glowing hands at five-thirty. “Dawn soon.” He muttered and pushed the sheets off, searching around for his socks, before realising he was already wearing them. “Ugh, coffee, that’ll help.” The teenager stumbled downstairs, peering out at the driveway to make sure his Dad hadn’t come home yet. “Don’t need to add more worry there. Stupid Eichen House, that was a terrible idea, and it’s him that’s paying for it…” Stiles muttered, stirring sugar into his coffee. He started moving back towards the stairs. A scratching sound reached his ears, and Stiles stopped, glancing towards the front door. “Hmm.”

Liam looked up as Stiles opened the door, staring at him in surprise. “Hi,” He muttered in a small voice. “Stiles…”

“Uh, hi. What are you doing here?” Stiles blinked, looking over the Freshman; his clothes were torn, dirty, pieces of bark and leaves in his hair, blood on his hands. Liam shivered, pulling his knees to his chest. “Um, come in, c’mon.” He reached down and the werewolf accepted his hand, standing upright. Stiles pointed at the couch. “Sit down.”

“I followed you home.” Liam said, staring at his hands, not looking at Stiles. “Followed your scent. I think so anyway, I don’t really remember, last night’s a blur. I just, I woke up here, and then…I need help, Stiles.”

“Right.” The teenager nodded, pushing the cup of coffee he had just made into Liam’s hands. Their fingers touched and the Freshman looked up quickly, before dropping his eyes again. “Here, it’s warm.”

“Thanks.”

“What sort of help do you need?” Stiles asked as he sat next to Liam. “I know about werewolf lore and that, but Scott is your Alpha. He’ll teach you what you need to survive.”

“I know, but, this, every day, how am I meant to…” Liam growled irritably, the words wouldn’t come to him. He glanced at Stiles. “I can’t tell my parents, right? Of course not, I mean I can’t let them down again, put them through another one of my screw-ups.”

Stiles moistened his lips and asked the question, even though he knew the answer. “What do you mean?”

“I got kicked out of Devenford Prep, I did something bad, really bad, and I deserved to be kicked out; the way they looked at me, when they saw what I did to that car.” He wept, sniffling, trying to stop his tears with one hand, while still holding onto the cup that Stiles had given him. The older teenager placed one arm comfortingly around him and Liam took a deep breath, trying to control the panic that clawed at his insides. 

“It’s alright, Liam, we’ll figure it out.”

"They can't see me like this, like, like..." He stuttered, unable to go on.

"Like a monster." Stiles finished and Liam sobbed again, putting the cup down on the coffee table and burying his face in Stiles’ chest. Surprised, the older teenager tried to comfort him, hugging him closer, letting the tears work through the young werewolf’s body. _Uh, ok, not what I expected. You know, this would be the perfect time for one of Scott’s cheesy one-liners, and it would totally work._ “It’s alright, it’s ok, just…you’re safe here.”


	9. Breakfast

It was a new scent that woke him up, like old leather and gun oil. Liam’s eyes fluttered open against Stiles’ chest. He was warm with Stiles’ arms around him, the older teenager’s steady heart-beat was soothing. It took a moment for Liam to realise that there was someone else in the room. He raised his head a little, taking in tan trousers, up to a belt with holster and shield badge. _Oh shit, Stiles’ Dad is the Sheriff!_ Liam sat up suddenly, elbowing Stiles hard in the stomach. He glanced beside him to see the teenager’s head lolled back, mouth open. “Stiles!” Liam growled, nudging him again.

Stiles woke up suddenly, his dream fading rapidly as he saw his father standing in front of him, hands full of shopping. The man’s expression was hard to read, somewhere between irritation and…amusement? “Uh, hi?”

“Stiles.” The Sheriff glanced at the younger teen. “Who’s this?”

“This, uh, this is Liam, err, Liam Dunbar, he’s um, well, he’s a werewolf,” Stiles gestured vaguely at him, Liam frowned, but Stiles ploughed on, “and last night was, well, full moon. And um, his first time…as a werewolf! Hahaa, um, a first moon, lost his moon uh, haha, not that we were, um, you’re home early.” Stiles accused him, as Liam turned redder and redder during the rambling.

“It’s eleven thirty.” The Sheriff deadpanned. 

“Oh, is it? Late night, uh, for us. But! But, uh, not, not like that, but, um, because, um, you know Liam is, uh…”

“A werewolf.” The Sheriff finished, frowning at them. 

Stiles nodded furiously. “Yup, yup, err…uh.”

His father rolled his eyes upwards and sighed. He looked back at Liam, “Running around in the forest?”

Liam stared at the floor, not responding, his face feeling like it was on fire.

“Stiles will show you the bathroom, and you can have a shower. Oh, and give him some of your spare clothes.” The Sheriff moved into the kitchen, dropping off his groceries, calling out as the two teenagers stood up, “You look like a crime scene.”

“Dad!”

Stiles pushed Liam upstairs, “So, that was, ok, right?”

“If I thought this morning was humiliating…” Liam glanced at him, cheeks still flushed.

“Hey!” He gestured at the closed door to his right, “There. Head in, and I’ll find something that might fit you.”

“What does that mean?” Liam prickled.

“Only good things,” Stiles grinned at him, “Yeah, I’m taller, but you’re way buffer. I’ve seen you after practice.” He hummed in his throat, flicking his eyes over Liam’s body. 

“Um, thanks.” The werewolf smiled and entered the bathroom, whispering, “You’re pretty hot too.” 

 

“I’m making breakfast.” The Sheriff said gruffly when Stiles came back downstairs. “He’s staying for that, I assume?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess so.” Stiles pressed his lips together and leaned over the counter to snag a strip of bacon. “You’re ok with that?”

“Still waiting on a proper explanation, Stiles.” His father pushed two pieces of bread into the toaster. “One that is somewhat coherent, and yeah, I got that he’s a werewolf.”

“Scott’s werewolf.” Stiles saw his head shoot up, “His Beta.”

“He bit that kid?”

“To save his life, yeah, on the roof of the hospital.” He nibbled on the bacon, “It wasn’t exactly Scott’s idea, but it was that, or let Liam die.”

“Right, so, how come he’s not sleeping on Scott’s couch? Or more accurately, on Scott?” The Sheriff glanced at Stiles, seeing him flush. “Something else going on, Stiles?”

 

Liam finished towelling his hair dry, pulling on the sweat pants Stiles had left out on his bed. The plaid shirt was soft cotton, but he had to roll the sleeves up so they didn’t cover his hands. The werewolf dropped his torn and bloodied clothes on the floor next to Stiles’ dirty laundry, reminding himself to come back for them. Liam hesitated on the stairs, the Sheriff’s voice reaching him.

“Something else going on, Stiles?”

“Uh,” The older teenager was nervous, his pulse spiking. Liam felt his claws prick the skin of his palms, “Well, um, kinda, maybe, possibly?”

“Stiles.”

“I…Look I was gonna ask him out before he was turned into a werewolf! He’s really cute.”

Liam smirked to himself, and leaned against the wall, wanting to hear the rest of their conversation. Stiles’ heart-beat had calmed and the werewolf felt his own easing.

 

Stiles waited for his Dad to respond, the Sheriff instead flipped the eggs and sighed. After a moment, he looked up. “How old is he?”

“Fifteen.”

“Stiles.” He glanced at his son, shaking his head.

“What? Why do you all think that I’m going to-”

“Stiles!”

“I’ll be careful with him, and we’ll go slow, really slow, like, glacial.” Stiles heard his father snort, “Hey, we haven’t even kissed yet! Last night was meant to be our first date…it didn’t exactly work out.”

“I’m not even sure I have advice to give. But yes, please take it slow.” The Sheriff sighed, “Will you tell Liam that it’s ready?”

“Yup. Oh, hey, there you are.” Stiles turned and grinned at Liam, “Shower ok?”

“Yeah, thanks. Clothes are fine,” He hesitated, looking past Stiles at the Sheriff, lowering his voice. “Are you sure it’s ok for me to be here?”

“Uh huh, c’mon.” Stiles touched his arm and nodded at the table. “Bacon’s pretty good!”


	10. Working the Case

“So…” Stiles began as he and Liam walked back towards the couch, his father remaining in the kitchen to tidy up. “I guess I should drop you home, huh?”

“What?” Liam looked at him and shook his head, “Uh, no, not really. I don’t wanna go home yet.”

“Right, uh, that’s, um, good, it’s good.” Stiles stumbled over his words slightly. “Yup.”

“Cool.” Liam smiled at him and Stiles felt his stomach clench tight.

“You want to head up to my room? There’s something I’ve been meaning to do, it’s for Scott and, uh, well you’ll see.”

“Ok,” He nodded eagerly, following the older teen upstairs. As they were passing the kitchen, the Sheriff poked his head out and frowned.

“Boys, keep that door open!”

“Yes, Dad.” Stiles called back, rolling his eyes at Liam. “Seriously?”

The werewolf smirked at Stiles and felt his pulse spike when the older teenager grinned back at him. Stiles gestured at the bed for Liam to sit down on while he pulled out a tall Perspex board and wheeled it into the center of the bedroom.

“Wow.”

“Huh?”

“It’s, um,” Liam coughed, “It’s very, err, professional looking?”

“Thanks.” Stiles smiled at him while grabbing a stack of folders from his desk, dropping them beside Liam on the bed. “This accounts for everything we know so far. It’s useful to put the evidence up, see what fits, what doesn’t, find any leads, or patterns.”

“Is that how the cops do it?”

“Yeah. It’s called a murder board, or evidence board, or whatever, depending on the crime.” Stiles explained and pointed at the different colored tapes and string along the sides. “See, the green tape is for what we understand, yellow or orange is for the bits we kinda know, but don’t have everything worked out, and red, well red is for what we don’t know.” He glanced at Liam, “It’s mostly red right now.”

“So, how does it work? You just stick everything up?” He frowned, flipping open some of the folders. He recoiled when he saw Sean Walcott’s crime scene photos. “Where did you get these?”

“Err, Sheriff’s Station.” Stiles replied vaguely and picked up the artist’s sketch of the Mute, fixing it to the center-right of the board. Then he reached down and took the picture from Liam’s hands. “The Walcott’s were first; four murders; Sean, his brother, their parents. And they were all killed by a professional assassin called the Mute, him.” Stiles tapped on the image as Liam stood up to stand beside him. 

The younger teen looked at him, “Stiles?”

“Mmh hmm?”

“How come he doesn’t have a mouth?”

“Oh, well, I don’t know.” Stiles shrugged, running his hand through his hair. “Trust me, that’s not the weirdest thing I’ve seen since Scott became a werewolf.” He laughed at Liam’s expression, and continued his explanation. “So, this assassin, the Mute, used a military grade tomahawk to kill his victims. But he himself was killed by Peter Hale after he tried to blow up Derek Hale and my Dad with a claymore mine. The Hales are also werewolves.”

“Are they part of Scott’s pack?”

“No, not, well, Peter is the one who bit Scott, and Derek…” Stiles glared at the board in front of him. “It doesn’t matter, Scott should be the one explaining the whole pack dynamic thing. I’ll talk to him about it.”

“Oh. Ok.” Liam sensed the tension and looked around for another piece of evidence to hand to Stiles. “Here.”

“Thanks.” He muttered, accepting the newspaper article absently. “Right, oh yeah, Demarko. He delivered a keg to the party last night, Scott texted me earlier; he got decapitated, bad and bloody, so I hear, anyway.” 

“What exactly are you guys doing?” The Sheriff stood in the doorway, frowning at them. 

“Uh…” Liam looked at Stiles. “Nothing?”

“Yup!” Stiles nodded furiously, “Nothing weird at all, we’re just, you know, talking about the case, err.”

“Case?” The Sheriff repeated and then sighed when he met their blank faces. “Ok, just-”

“Keep the door open, I know, Dad.” Stiles cut in, gesturing for him to leave. His phone buzzed and he walked over to it as Liam sat back down on the bed. “Huh, it’s Scott, wants to…yup, talk to my Dad about the murders. Good thing I’ve started the board. He’s a disaster when he tries to do it himself.” Stiles added over his shoulder to Liam, hearing the werewolf chuckle.

 

Liam didn’t say anything as Stiles finished placing the rest of the evidence, instead watching his movements, catching his eye with a smile, studying his face, his arms. _He’s so hot, and he’s not a werewolf so he can’t smell my boner, right? I wonder is he…_ He felt his cheeks flush with the thought and looked at Sean Walcott’s crime scene photos to distract himself.

“Done!” Stiles proclaimed with a flourish and sat down next to him. “Whatcha think?”

“Cool.” The werewolf nodded, his pulse spiking as Stiles leaned into him, shoulder against shoulder, the brush of their bare arms sending a thrill across his skin. The older teen was examining his handiwork when Liam turned to him, moistening his lips. “Stiles?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Mhh,” Liam hesitated a moment before leaning forward, eyes closing naturally, his lips brushing against Stiles’. He felt his stomach clench hard, as sparks raced across his chest. _Boom! Fireworks!_

Stiles was caught slightly by surprise, but he returned Liam’s kiss, raising a hand to his neck and eased him back, “Wait, just, uh.”

“What’s wrong? Did I-”

“No, no, nothing’s wrong, just, relax, it’s ok.” Stiles smiled at him. “Better than ok, actually. I wasn’t expecting it, is all.”

“Oh, good, um.”

“C’mere.” Stiles put a gentle pressure on his shoulder and Liam moved forward willingly, their lips touching again. Soon it got heated, clumsy, Liam was eager as Stiles resisted, refusing to open his mouth more. The younger teen got adventurous enough to put his hands on Stiles’ shoulders, his thumb brushing against his neck, rapid pulse easy to feel. He was about to move closer when his phone buzzed loudly. Liam broke away and pulled it out, frowning as he looked at the text he got from his step-father, _Where are you?_ “Crap,” he muttered and stood up suddenly. Stiles frowned, but got up after him.

“What is it?”

“It’s my step-dad, I thought I might be home before him, if he got called to surgery, or…”

“Liam,” Stiles gently turned the younger teen’s face towards him. “What’s wrong?”

“He…He probably noticed my bed wasn’t slept in.”

“So, he’s angry? Just, just tell him you were with friends.” Stiles offered.

“Yeah, he’ll be wondering why I’m wearing clothes that obviously aren’t mine, though.” He chewed his lower lip anxiously. “I need to go.”

“Ok, ok, just let me drive you.” Stiles hugged him and smiled, trying to calm him down. “It’ll be alright.”

 

Stiles grabbed his keys from the bowl by the door as his father emerged from the other room, adjusting his gun holster. “You’re heading out again?”

“Hikers found a body in the Preserve, Parrish says it looks like hiking accident, but he’s not sure.” The Sheriff replied, looking at Liam as he came downstairs. “I can drop you home, Liam.”

“It’s ok, I-”

“It’s on the way, you live in the new development on Kendle, right?” The Sheriff waited for his nod, before looking back at Stiles. “Saves you the time, and if you were drinking last night, saves me the bother of bailing you out.”

“Dad!” Stiles protested, but his father opened the door and all but pushed Liam out ahead of him. “I’ll call you later Liam.” _Please do not scare him away, Dad! He’s so cute, and his lips are perfect._ Stiles waved at Liam as he left.

“Get it the front.” The Sheriff told him, nodding at Stiles at the door.

“Ok.” He nodded and sat inside, pulling on his belt when the man glared at him. “Sorry.” The engine rumbled to life and the Sheriff backed out, before stepping on the gas. Liam glanced at him, “Did I-”

“You know,” The Sheriff cut across him. “A lot of my job the last few months has been dealing with the supernatural, but when I’m not doing that, I’m dealing with drugs, and arson, and vandalism.” He looked at Liam meaningfully.

_Oh crap._

“It took me a while, but I remember where I heard your name before, Dunbar.” He glanced at Liam. “That was a lot of damage you did to that car.”

“I’ve completed my anger management counselling.” Liam muttered, staring at his hands. “I can control it now.”

“I’m no expert on werewolves, but everything I’ve seen so far is that they’re stronger, faster, and much more dangerous than just about everyone else. Stiles didn’t exactly explain why Scott bit you, but in my mind, it doesn’t seem like a good idea to combine that sort of power with your sort of anger.” The Sheriff turned into Liam’s street. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I’m not gonna hurt him, or anyone, if that’s what you think.” Liam said, glancing at the Sheriff with a scowl. “I like Stiles. There. My house is the one at the end with the red fence.”

“Good.” He parked at the curb, and looked at Liam. “I’m glad we’ve had this talk. Is that your father?”

“Step-father.” Liam replied, shrinking into the seat as the doctor stood at the porch, arms folded, glaring at the police cruiser. “Thanks for the ride.” He opened the door and walked around towards the house. “Hey.”

“Where the hell have you been? You obviously didn’t come home last night. And you left the boiler on.” He shook his head, “Cops had to bring you home, huh? Damn it, Liam. I thought we had an understanding.”

The werewolf hung his head, not saying anything as his step-father raged at him. “Yeah, I-”

“Hi there.” The Sheriff climbed out of his car, and raised a hand in greeting, interrupting Dr. Geyer. “Don’t be too hard on Liam, it was actually my son, Stiles, who you should be angry at. They were at a party, Stiles got pretty drunk and Liam here managed to drive him home safe. I should really be thanking him.”

Liam turned to stare at the Sheriff. _Uh, thanks? Stiles is not gonna be happy._

“Huh.” Dr Geyer looked at his step-son, “Is that a fact? Well, alright then, go on into the house, Liam. Sheriff, a word?”

Liam hesitated but nodded and slipped inside, pulling out his phone. _Your Dad just covered for me to my step-dad last night. But now he thinks you’re a drunk!_

His phone buzzed a moment later, and Liam laughed as he read Stiles’ reply. _So, no dates at your place, then? I’ll find you at school tomorrow, yeah?_

“Yeah.” Liam murmured and tapped a reply, his heart feeling light for the first time in months.


	11. Anger and Control

Stiles slowed down as the lights turned red, glancing in the mirror to see an empty road stretching behind him. Just as well, since his thoughts kept drifting backwards to the night before, him and Scott in his Dad’s office, trying to explain their hunch about the recent murders. Well, more than a hunch.

“So, this is the case you and Liam were talking about earlier?” The Sheriff asked him.

“Yeah,” Stiles nodded as Scott darted a look at him. “Dude, I explained about Liam coming over in the car. You need to talk to him. It really should have been you trying to explain the whole werewolf uh-” 

“Werewolf puberty.” Scott supplied.

“You did not just say that.”

“Boys!” The Sheriff leaned on the table, looking down at the open folders. “What the hell am I looking at here?”

“We think it’s a deadpool.” Stiles explained, pointing at the first part of the decrypted list. “See, there are the names, we know that some of them are supernaturals, so all of them probably are.”

“And then the Mute,” Scott broke in, “the assassin was just following the list, picking everyone off.”

“What are these figures beside each name?”

“We think that’s the amount each person is worth. The two-fifties and other three figure amounts are two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and the five and tens are in millions.” Stiles took a breath after speaking, his father’s brows shooting up. 

“That’s a lot of money.”

“The Hale money.” Scott said, glancing at Stiles. “Peter Hale was robbed, when the rest of the list is decrypted, it should account for all of it; over a hundred million. That’s our theory, anyway.”

A horn blast behind him jolted Stiles out of his thoughts and he stepped on the gas. It wasn’t so much that there were more names to be found, it was _what_ names that worried him. Liam had just been bitten, so maybe he was safe, but then again, whoever created the list knew about every supernatural in Beacon Hills and County. The Benefactor. “What do you want? Are you Kate Argent? Or just a dangerous distraction?” Stiles asked himself as he pulled into the school parking lot. “And you better not be gunning for Liam!”

 

Liam lay down, sliding back on the support pad as his arms reached up to rest on the bar. It was his normal starting weight, but he blinked at how little it seemed. Mason stood nearby, talking while he lifted the dumbbells casually. The werewolf grunted irritably and sat up, looking behind him to the stack of weights. _Good, that was like lifting nothing._

“You know how I keep reminding Garrett to give me back my hoodie?” Mason asked, glancing at him.

“Yeah?” Liam replied absently, hefting the 45lb disk in his hand and adding one of them to either side of the bar.

“So, I went to the development that he said he was living in, the new one, on Spaulding,” Mason paused as Liam sat down again. “Well, that housing development is still in development.”

“Uh huh.” He slid under the bar and tensed his biceps, expecting the added weight to give him some resistance. But it was still too light, too easy. Liam growled under his breath and stood back up after a few quick lifts. _Another ninety._ “So?”

“There are no houses there, nothing, there’s something he’s not telling us.”

“Right.” Liam mumbled and picked up the additional weights, adding them to the bar, zoning out Mason’s voice. He nodded to himself and sat back down.

"...and he's apparently now on steroids."

Liam frowned and looked at him. “What?”

"You're not actually going to try to lift that, are you?"

“Uh.” _Shit, this must be some stupid werewolf thing. Super-strength, but I can’t use it because it looks weird. Great…_ Mason was still staring at him. Liam shrugged and dropped his hands from the bar, sitting upright and looking at the stacks of iron on each side. “Um, no, I guess not.”

"Are you alright?" Mason crouched down next to him, face creased in concern. “Today’s been the first time we’ve hung out since lacrosse try-outs last week and you hurt your leg. That’s it though, right? You’re uneasy about the game tonight?”

“I’m fine.” Liam replied sharply, glaring at the floor. “It’s just a scrimmage.”

"You do know who you're playing, right?"

“Yeah,” Liam scowled, suddenly feeling irritated and shook his head. “I mean, no, I guess I missed the announcement. Wasn’t paying attention this morning.”

“Yeah, I noticed.” Mason moistened his lips. “Liam, it’s your old school, Devenford Prep.”

“Oh.” He was silent for a moment, before blinking, nostrils flaring, picking the scent out from all the others. _His scent._ “I gotta go.”

“Do you want me to-”

“No.” Liam cut across him. “I’m fine.” He pushed past Mason, slowing when he saw Stiles heading down the hallway. The Junior grinned at him and Liam felt his stomach do a backflip, “Hey.”

“Hey Liam. You done working out?” Stiles let his eyes rove over the Freshman’s bare arms and smooth skin. “Um, I-”

“Do have a minute?” Liam asked him suddenly, and reached out to grab his hand, pulling Stiles into the boys’ locker-room, forgetting that Mason was standing right behind him, only hearing his friend’s amused chuckle too late to stop. Not that he wanted to, Stiles’ hand was warm and responded to his grip by squeezing back.

 

“Uh, yeah?” Stiles looked around confusedly as Liam threw his locker bag into his spot, following suit by sitting down. “Are you ok, Liam?”

“Did you know? About who we’re playing tonight?” The werewolf looked up at him.

“Yeah, it’s Devenford, we always scrimmage with them this time of year.” Stiles ran a hand through his hair, shrugging. “We mostly lose, but every point against those preppy jerks feels like a victory!”

Liam’s lips twitched but he didn’t laugh. 

“Liam, c’mon.” Stiles sat next to him, pushing closer to him. “It’ll be alright, it’s just a game.”

“Yeah, but, I told you what happened at my old school.” _Most of it…_

“So?” Stiles put an arm around Liam’s bare shoulders, hugging him closer. “That just gives us more of a reason to kick their asses!”

“Heh.” The werewolf smiled shyly at him, Stiles tilting his head slightly. He moistened his lips and leaned in closer, wanting to kiss the older teen again, like yesterday. Their lips brushed against each other, a spark of energy tingling down his body. But then a strange smell reached him, a scent that made his pulse quicken, but for the wrong reasons. _Danger._ Liam pulled back and looked through the metal mesh of the locker-room stalls, brows furrowed, eyes darting to check on his equipment. “Fuck.”

Stiles looked at him, “Liam? What is it?”

“My stick’s gone.” The Freshman muttered and searched around, gently pushing Stiles to get up. Then he heard it, the rippling sound of the metal stick being trailed along the lockers further down, near the showers. He frowned and moved out into the open space, Stiles following behind. The werewolf stopped when he saw a much older stranger standing in front of them, his lacrosse stick in the man’s hand. But there was something else, a scent, a threat that had suddenly crept into the air. Liam could hear Stiles’ heart-beat increase and he glared at the man, realising he was the source.

"Derek." Stiles muttered the werewolf’s name, moving forward to stand beside Liam. 

“Stiles, and your little friend.” Derek looked at them. “Nice stick.”

Stiles put his hand on Liam’s shoulder, as the Junior’s jaw tightened. "That doesn’t belong to you, give it back."

"In a moment." Derek smirked at them, inspecting the netting at the top of the lacrosse stick. “Hmm.”

"What do you want, Derek?"

The werewolf looked past him at Liam, bending the lacrosse stick carefully. "Is this yours?"

Liam didn't reply and Derek snapped the stick with ease, metal fragments plinking off against the lockers. Stiles glanced at Liam, his grip tightening protectively. Derek threw the two broken fragments at them. “Here you go.”

Liam looked down at the two halves of his lacrosse stick, his chest beginning to heave as he struggled to tamp down the anger that threatened to swamp him. _That’s the stick my step-dad gave me for my birthday…You’re dead!_ He raised his head, eyes yellow, his mouth feeling full as the fangs descended. The werewolf glanced at Stiles, watching him quickly pull his hand away. Liam snarled wordlessly, red mist descending, anger that was always so easy to call on, flowed like molten metal through his limbs. 

Derek smirked. 

Stiles felt it before he saw it, calling out pre-emptively, "No, Liam, don't!" 

The Freshman rushed forward, but Derek fended him off easily, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him into the lockers. Liam growled and snarled, baring his fangs, snapping ineffectually at him. “Grr!”

“Fuck!” Stiles cursed, glancing around, and then back at the older werewolf. “What the hell, Derek? What are you trying to do? Release him!”

"Your boyfriend angers too easily Stiles."

"He's not my..."

"My nose tells me different." Derek looked back at Liam, examining him, fighting to keep him in position as he wriggled around, trying to get free. “Hmm.”

“Oh my god.” Stiles muttered and moved closer to Liam, ignoring the other werewolf’s glare.

“Stiles, what are you doing?”

“Liam? Hey, Liam, look at me, come on, look at me.” He swallowed sharply as their eyes connected, watching as the Beta’s fangs disappeared along with his claws, yellow eyes locking on to brown. “That’s it. Calm down, keep looking at me. It’s just you and me.”

He blinked, feeling the rage leave him, and stopped struggling against Derek’s powerful grip around his throat. Stiles seemed satisfied and grinned at him, his high pulse easing back down to normal.

“Good.”

"Wow, thought I’d have to do that."

Stiles turned to see Scott walk in behind them. "This is your idea of help?" He looked back at Liam, human again, "You going to let him go, Derek? Or are you gonna keep on choking him?"

"You're right," Derek said to Scott, ignoring Stiles. "He is angry." 

Derek released him and Liam fell to the floor, crouching on one knee as he massaged his neck, coughing. Stiles’ hand was warm on his shoulder, a physical link that made his world stop spinning and the hunger for a revenging strike dissipate. He stood up slowly, backing into Stiles until he felt the Junior’s shirt fabric against his arms. Stiles placed his other hand on Liam’s shoulder, and squeezed once. Liam glanced back at him.

“You ok?”

“Mhm, hmm.” Liam nodded and then turned to glare at Scott.

"This one's yours." The Alpha offered him the lacrosse stick and then threw it at him casually when the werewolf refused to take it. Liam caught it and gripped protectively.

"Alright, Scott, you've made your point." Stiles said, looking between them. 

"Don't think he has, Stiles." Derek replied, "He can't control his anger, no way can he play a match."

“He’ll control it.” Stiles replied sharply, glancing at Scott. “Besides he’s our best player, and you know it!”

“Stiles…” Scott started, moving towards him, before stopping when Liam glared at him again. “Ok, this might have gotten a bit out of hand. I just wanted to see-”

“How angry you could make me?” Liam cut across him. “I can show you, if you want?” His eyes glowed yellow again, but Stiles pushed him away from Scott.

“Ok, ok, that’s enough.” The bell rang above him, and Stiles breathed a sigh of relief. “Hey, c’mon, I’ll walk you to your next class. Go!” He shoved Liam onwards with a hand to the small of his back and the Freshman resisted for a moment before stumbling forwards. Stiles grabbed Liam’s bag and jacket as they passed, looking over his shoulder at Scott and Derek with a shake of his head. 

 

“Hey, those guys were jerks, ok?” Stiles said to him as they walked towards Math. “I know you’ll control your anger on the field. And score like hell!” He grinned and bumped deliberately into the Freshman. “It’ll be ok.”

Liam nodded silently, not believing Stiles. He stopped outside his class and stared moodily at the wall opposite him. “I suppose.”

“I got Econ, but, uh, come have lunch with me?” Stiles asked him, waiting for Liam to look up and nod. “Great!” The Junior leaned in a kissed him lightly on the lips. Liam moved forward reactively, but Stiles had already backed away, walking down the hallway. He smiled to himself, watching the older teen go.

“Dude? Why didn’t you tell me that was what you’ve been hiding?!”

Liam blinked and turned around to see Mason grinning at him. “Err…”


	12. Trojan Horse

Stiles pulled the folder out of his bag, spreading the crime scene photos around his desk. _Ok, so, deadpool, murders, assassins…this would have been so much easier in free period, but noooo, I had to calm an angry werewolf instead, thank you very much, Scott!_ He glanced at his best friend, sighing as Scott looked at him to apologize, eyes tilted in that way that Stiles found impossible to ignore. He shrugged and nodded, before turning his attention back to the photographs, searching for a clue, a pattern, anything that the cops would have overlooked. Stiles put the general crime scene view down and searched through the bundle until he found one of the body, strange, but regular indentations around the knife wounds. “Hmm.” He muttered to himself, and put it down, reaching for another picture when Coach rapped a lacrosse stick on the table in front of him. Stiles jumped, evidence scattered around him. “Ah!”

The Coach bent down, looking first at Stiles and then at the files. “Stilinski,” He said, picking up a photo of the most recent murder. “If I could grade you on how much you profoundly disturb me, you'd be an A+ student.”

“Oh,” Stiles grinned back, nodding. “Thanks Coach!”

“Put those pictures away.” He ordered, tapping the end of the lacrosse stick on the photos. Stiles’ eyes widened and he grabbed the stick reactively. “Hey! Stilinski!” Stiles refused to let go, using both hands to pull it closer and examine the rubber cap on the end.  
 _Wait a minute…_ He held on grimly with one hand, the other searching through the scattered evidence for the one with the knife wounds. Stiles pulled it out and reached over, still struggling with Coach Finstock, and popped the end cap off. _I knew it!_ The angular marks were an exact match. Stiles grinned and let go suddenly. 

“What the hell, Stilinski?” The Coach glared at him, but Stiles sat back, muted.

“Stiles?” Scott whispered across from him. “What is it?”

“I know who the killer is,” He glanced at the werewolf. “The assassin is on the lacrosse team.”

 

Liam looked up as Stiles sat down across from him, “Hey.”

“Hey!” The older teen was energetic, glancing around, tapping the table. “You ok? You’re not still upset over what happened back there?”

“No.”

“Heh,” Stiles smirked at him, “You know, you’re really cute when you pout.”

“What? I’m not…” He glared at Stiles. “Why are you so happy?”

“Got a break in the case. See these?” Stiles pulled out the autopsy photo and slid it across the table as Liam grimaced. “These marks? Couldn’t figure out what was causing them. I mean it’s obviously a knife wound-”

“Obviously.” Liam muttered.

“Right? But it was only in Econ that I noticed all the lacrosse sticks have this shape; the end cap covers it up. You see?” Stiles finished triumphantly as the werewolf stared at him.

“You were looking at this in class?”

“Yeah.” Stiles shrugged. “I mean, ok, Coach caught me, but it’s not like that’s a big deal. He did say that if he could grade me on how much I disturb him, he’d give me an A.”

“Uh huh.” Liam frowned at him. “What grade are you getting now?”

“Err, it doesn’t matter…”

“That bad, huh?” Liam smirked at him.

“You know, you’re actually hotter when you smile.” Stiles said, leaning forward to kiss him softly. There was a cough behind him, and Stiles groaned, looking backwards. “Oh, Scott.”

“Err.” The Alpha was uncomfortable, shuffling his feet. “So, I overheard that Coach is supervising the soccer team while Mr Atkins is out. He won’t be anywhere near his office for the next hour.”

“Sweet!” Stiles stood up, stuffing the photo back in his back. He looked at Liam. “We’re gonna go through all the sticks in Coach’s office, see if we can find the one the killer is using.”

“Have fun.” Liam replied, shoulders slumping.

“Uh, wait up Scott!” Stiles grabbed his friend’s shoulder, leaning in. “We can bring him with us, right? Two werewolves are better than one? Please?”

“He can hear us, Stiles,” Scott said normally, “You don’t have to whisper.”

“Oh. Well, err, can he come?”

Scott looked at Stiles, and then back at Liam, the Beta, _my Beta_ he reminded himself, watching Stiles expectantly. He sighed, “Yeah. C’mon.”

 

Stiles searched through the supply closet, pulling out the sticks and throwing them on the table for Liam to pop the ends off. Scott finished looking around the rest of the room and sighed loudly. “This is pointless.”

“Anything?” Stiles looked at Liam, his boyfriend shaking his head. “Huh.”

“Most of the team plays with their own gear anyway.” The Alpha paused, an idea coming to him. “Which we can use against him.”

“How?”

“We let the game go ahead, wait for him to reveal himself, and then catch him red-handed.”

Stiles opened his mouth and then closed it, he looked at Scott. “Yeah, but what if his hands are covered in blood because of the person he just stabbed to death?”

“Fuck, Stiles.” Scott muttered, “Look, we only have a part of the list, we don’t know who else might be on it; Liam could even be on it.” He gestured at the Freshman. 

“But he hasn’t been turned a week.” Stiles replied quickly. “How could they know?”

“They know about Kira, and she hides her powers really well.”

“Wha-What? Someone’s gonna kill me?!” Liam stared between them, his eyes shifting to yellow. “Well…just let them try!”

“Oh, my god.” Stiles muttered aloud, glaring at Scott. 

“Calm down, Liam, no one is going to kill you.” The Alpha backtracked, “Not with the pack around you. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“Uh, actually no, Scott, there is something to be afraid of. Maybe not yellow eyed, werewolf afraid of, but…” Stiles gestured widely, his pulse spiking. “There’s assassins, professional killers, whose profession is to kill you! I’m not even on the list, and I’m freaking terrified!”

"I'll protect you." Liam said without thinking, blushing when they stared at him. "Uh, I mean, me and Scott-"

"I know." Stiles replied, taking a deep breath. “Alright, fine, we’ll do it your way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty short update, a longer chapter will come tomorrow or Tuesday.


	13. Fury

Liam looked up, hearing the bus come a stop before he saw it. Slamming his locker shut, the werewolf walked around Mason, avoiding his best friend’s eyes and instead strode determinedly towards the exit.

“Oh, no, no, Liam!” Mason jogged after him, “Liam, no, it’s not worth it! Stop, dude, they’re-”

"Brett!" Liam called out, challengingly, seeing his old captain stepping off the bus. The Freshman took a deep breath and moved forward to confront the Devenford player.

 

Stiles looked up as the shout echoed around the parking lot. He frowned and spotted Liam, _Oh, shit. He’s gonna wolf out right here…_ Stiles pushed past the other students milling around in front of the school and came to a stop beside Mason. “Liam, what are you doing?” He muttered aloud as Scott walked over to stand beside him.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” Stiles replied, seeing the tension in Liam’s back, the way he refused to look at anyone except the Devenford Prep captain. “Trouble probably.”

"I just wanted to say..." Liam started, glaring at the taller teen. "...have a good game." 

Brett looked at his teammates, and then back at Liam, laughing. "That's cute, Liam!"

Stiles groaned internally, and moved around to better see his boyfriend’s face. Liam was frowning, clearly upset. _Should I…? No, he can handle this, I hope he can handle it. He doesn’t need me to go in there and make him look worse._

Brett was smirking mockingly at Liam now, "Is that what they told you to say in anger management?"

Liam looked down, feeling rage replace his embarrassment. “I was just apologizing.” He growled under his breath, but Brett heard him and snorted derisively. 

"Apologize? and everything is fine?" Brett got closer to him, moving into his space. "You demolished coach's car."

"I paid for it." 

"No, now you're going to pay for it. We're going to break you in half out there." Brett threatened. "And it's going to be all…your…fault."

Liam looked up at him, his hands curling into fists as a wave of white hot anger boiled over, drowning his thoughts until all he could hear was blood pounding in his ears. He didn’t even notice his claws digging into the soft flesh of his hands, his muscles twitching as pain mingled with the fury. The discomfort was enough to hold him in place, staring at Brett’s stupidly good-looking appearance, his dismissive expression, hair ever so slightly curled at the front. The werewolf ground his teeth to suppress the urge to slash the smug look from his face.

Stiles glanced back at Scott, seeing his best friend’s brows furrowed. He turned around, following the Alpha’s gaze; seeing a drop of blood fall from Liam’s clenched fist. Stiles took a breath and looked at Scott warningly. The Alpha nodded and they rushed forward.

Liam grunted as he felt Stiles’ hands grab him from behind, pulling him backwards. He resisted for a moment, but then the Junior hugged him closer, “Keep it together Liam,” Stiles muttered in his ear.

“I don’t think I can…” The werewolf growled, shutting his eyes as they glowed yellow.

Stiles cursed under his breath, gesturing at Scott to distract the Devenford Prep team, as they were all staring at Liam. 

“Err, hey! Hi!” Scott started, addressing Brett first. “So, um, we’re all excited for the scrimmage tonight, uh, let’s just have a good game, and err, keep it clean, huh?”

Brett was still staring at Liam, as Stiles gripped him tighter. Stiles watched Brett’s eyes flick upwards to look at him, cool, calculating. _Oh, I do not like how he is looking at us._ It was almost as though Liam could hear his thoughts, because the Freshman charged forward suddenly, breaking Stiles’ hold over him. Scott slammed his hand into the Beta’s chest and forced him backwards, calling over his shoulder. “Alright, uh, see you on the field!”

Stiles managed to get a better grip on Liam and with Scott’s help they were able to rush the snarling werewolf past Mason’s confused expression and through the gathered students towards the locker room. 

 

“Showers!” Scott called out, running forward to turn on the water. 

Stiles grunted and struggled to push Liam into them, grimacing as the werewolf’s claws gripped his bare arm, bottom lip protruding because of his fangs. “Liam, stop!” He yelled out, looking into the wild yellow eyes of his boyfriend. “Liam!” Scott joined him and they shoved him under the cold water. 

Liam snarled at them, his vision blurred, heart pounding, the urge to kill and rip and shred was overwhelming. He shook his head when the icy spray hit him, the shock forcing his breaths to come harder. Blinking, he could hear someone calling his name, but he wasn’t sure. The rage was unquenchable, greedy, and something was stopping him…

“RAWRR!”

Stiles held firm as Liam roared into his face, even as his pulse hammered in his ear, fear making his voice quaver. “Liam, stop it, calm down. Come back to me!” Scott’s eyes were red but it didn’t seem to have an effect. “Liam! Listen to me!” Stiles looked down, seeing Liam’s hands return to normal, his eyes no longer yellow. “Ok, now we’re getting somewhere. Fangs, Liam.” He nodded at the Alpha, as the Freshman struggled against their grip. “Again.”

“Grr!” Liam snarled and snapped ferociously at Scott as they pushed him further into the freezing deluge. His vision was clearer though, and he could see Stiles’ face to his right, Scott’s to his left. The human’s heart-beat was high, too high. _Sacred. Oh…_ He went limp in their arms, head bowed as the fangs retracted.

“Are you calm yet?” Stiles demanded, tensing his biceps in case they needed to push him in again.

“Ok, ok.” Liam panted, lessening his grip on Stiles’ arm, holding onto him instead. The Freshman leaned forward just enough to rest his head on Stiles’ soaked shirt. 

Scott turned the water off and stepped back, breathing heavily. Stiles nodded as his best friend looked at him. “Yeah. I’m ok. Soaked, but…” He grunted as he felt Liam slipping and dropped with him, pushing him back gently against the tiled wall. “Liam? Liam, look at me.”

The werewolf looked at Stiles’ knees, then slowly upwards at his chest. He didn’t want to go any higher, shame washing over him. He felt Stiles’ thumb under his chin, tilting his head upright, until their eyes met. “’m sorry.” He muttered, but the Junior’s lips twitched upwards at the corners.

“I know.”

 

Stiles stood up and staggered backwards, shaking cold water from his hands. His shirt felt uncomfortable on his body, but it was nothing to way Liam was now avoiding both of their gazes. Scott glanced at him and Stiles nodded slowly as a thought struck him, _Wait, why was I able to get him to back down when the Alpha couldn’t? I mean, I did it before, but…werewolves._

Liam pulled his knees up and rested his arms on them, his head down, staring at his sodden jeans.

“That car you smashed? I thought it was your teacher’s?” Scott asked him.

Liam hesitated, glancing at Stiles before answering. "He's also my coach. He benched me for the entire season."

“This is before you smashed it up, right?”

“Uh huh.”

Stiles frowned, arms folded as he studied Liam. _Hmm._

Scott glanced at him, waiting for a response, but Stiles remained silent and the Alpha continued. “What did you do?”

Liam looked at his boyfriend again, but Stiles was stone-faced, and the Beta looked down, shaking his head. "Got a couple of red cards."

"Just a couple?" Stiles finally spoke, remembering Liam's fury, in both the locker room earlier and again just now. “A couple of red cards in your first semester, sure, but what else?”

Liam held his gaze for a moment before breaking it moodily. “Nothing.”

“C’mon, Liam, you gotta be honest with us here, with me.” Stiles moved forward, kneeling down on his haunches in front of him, taking in the teen’s innocent-looking eyes, his cute face, the water drops trailing down from his hair. “What else happened?”

“Nothing!” Liam shouted at him, looking away. Stiles’ hand reached out and took his, squeezing until Liam looked back at him. His breathing was hard, but it was impossible to look away from Stiles’ steady gaze. “I…”

“It’s ok, you can trust me.”

“I, uh,” He moistened his suddenly dry lips. “I got kicked out of school. They, um, they sent me to a psychologist for evaluation.”

“Ok.” Stiles glanced at Scott as the werewolf stood next to them. “And?”

“They called it Intermittent Explosive Disorder.”

"IED?" Stiles repeated, his pulse spiking, Liam's eyes darted to him, his brows shooting up. 

"Siles?"

“You have got to be kidding me.” Stiles muttered and turned to glare at Scott. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

“What?” Scott backed off, wilting under the severity of Stiles’ stare. “I didn’t know!”

“Yeah.” The Junior turned back to Liam. “What are you taking for it?”

"Risperdal," Liam sighed, "It's an anti-psychotic."

"That seems a bit heavy duty," Stiles muttered, reaching out to tap his arm reassuringly, "Are you taking it now?"

"No." He replied dully, as Scott sighed. "I can't play lacrosse on it, it makes me tired."

“Shit.” Stiles looked down. _I guess werewolf powers only fix physical illnesses._ “Alright, Scott, he’s your Beta, what do you want to do?”

“Uh,” The Alpha looked at the both, uneasy. “Um, ok, so, err. Yeah! You should sit out the game, tell Coach your leg is still hurting.”

"What? No!" Liam struggled to get up, slipping on the wet tiles until he took the offered hand and stood up. "I can do this! Especially if you're there." He looked pleadingly at Stiles.

“I don’t know Liam, I mean can you control yourself even with Stiles next to you?” Scott interjected. “We can’t look out for you and the assassin at the same time.”

“Yeah,” Stiles nodded his agreement as Liam looked crestfallen. “But…as worried as I am about Liam going crazy and mauling the Devenford preppies, I’d feel safer with him beside me.”

Liam grinned at him, but then frowned. _Hang on…_

Scott rolled his eyes. “Seriously, guys? I can _smell_ you, remember?” 

Stiles flushed, but gestured at him anyway. “Well? If we’re gonna catch whoever killed Demarko and the rest of them, we need-”

“Wait,” Liam broke in, “The assassin on our team killed Demarko at the party? The guy who brought the keg?”

“Yeah. So?”

“So, I know that Garrett paid for the keg. Err.” Liam licked his lips nervously as Stiles and Scott exchanged a look. “Is he…?”

“Yeah, makes sense.” Stiles growled, pulling out his phone to check the time. “Damn, the game’s in less than an hour, Scott.”

“Fine, you’re in.” He looked at Liam. “But stay close to Stiles, I’ll grab Kira and let her know that Garret could be trying to kill us.”

“ _Fun._ ” Stiles watched Scott leave and sighed to himself, “We’re gonna lose this game for sure.”


	14. Game On!

"It's lacrosse, it's what you do, remember?" Stiles placed both hands on Liam’s shoulders from behind, leaning in to whisper, "Even before you had werewolf powers you were amazing; a star!" He stepped back and Liam glanced at him, grinning. The teen looked away, scanning the crowded bleachers for his Dad. “Damn it, not again.”

“What is it?”

“My Dad is meant to be here. He said he was coming.” Stiles muttered and pulled out his phone. 

“I’m sorry.” Liam reached for his hand, but Stiles moved away, holding his phone up to his ear.

“Dad? Yeah, I’m at the game, where are you?” Stiles tilted his head, listening as the Sheriff explained that he was on his way. “Ok, but, no, listen! There’s a killer on the lacrosse team, on our team! What?! Of course, I’m sure!” Stiles pulled a face and walked away as Liam smirked at him.

The werewolf checked his equipment one last time as Mason walked up to him. He looked across the field towards the Devenford Prep players; Brett getting changed, shirtless for longer than necessary. He blinked, hearing Mason’s heart beat faster. Liam turned to his best friend, suspicious. _I can smell his...oh shit, act normal._

“So,” Mason began, still looking at Brett. “Uh, what was going on with you earlier?”

“Earlier?” Liam played dumb.

“Yeah, um,” Mason swallowed hard, diverting his eyes just as Brett looked their way, lacrosse shirt in his hands. “Oh, uh. With Stiles and Scott? How do you know those guys?”

“Well, Stiles is my, err-”

“Boyfriend, I know!” Mason flashed a grin at him. “And we _will_ be talking about that later!” His eyes were back on Brett, not seeming to care that the lacrosse player had noticed him. “Uh, so…”

“Devenford Prep.” Liam muttered darkly, staring out at the sea of green shirts. “Brett Talbot.”

“Him?” Mason nodded at the shirtless teen, and glanced at Liam. “That’s the guy you have to take down?”

“I can do it!”

“Um.”

"I don't care if he's a foot taller than me!" Liam replied defensively and glanced back at Mason, "I can take him."

"Yeah," He agreed half-heartedly, not paying attention. “Mmmh.”

"What do you think you're doing?" Liam frowned, looking at Brett, his shirt on, but held up as he dusted some imaginary lint off his perfect abs. “Mason?”

“Err…”

"You think he's hot, don't you?"

"What? No! No, no, definitely not." He caught Liam’s unimpressed expression, "Maybe, uh, maybe a little."

"He wants to destroy me."

"I think you can definitely take him," Liam nodded as his friend spoke, "and then, give him to me." They laughed, tension between them breaking. "Nah, just go out there and kick their smug, prep-school asses, man."

"Hey Liam." Stiles walked over to them, resting a hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder pad, nodding at Mason. “So, you ready?”

“Yeah!” Liam pulled on his helmet and smirked at best friend, turning to follow Stiles back to their line. 

“Hey Liam! Think fast!” One of the Devenford players hurled a ball at him, arcing it too wide; about to hit Stiles’ unprotected face. The Beta’s arm shot out and he grabbed the ball from the air. 

“Woah.” Stiles blinked. “Thanks.”

“Mmh hmm.” Liam nodded, scowling at the other team as he fired the ball back at them, bouncing it off the keeper’s helmet. He felt Stiles’ hand on his arm, guiding him away. “Coming.”

“About time Stilinski! Dunbar!” Coach roared at them, urging them onto the field. “Now get out there! Go! Go! Go!”

Stiles rapped his knuckles on Liam’s helmet affectionately before pulling on his gloves and running back to his defender’s position. The werewolf grinned at him and moved up to mid-field, alongside Scott.

 

The shrill blast of a whistle started the game and Stiles grimaced as Devenford grabbed the ball, bursting through the defensive line, one of them shouldering him hard. The teen gasped as the air was knocked from his lungs. Another blast of the referee’s whistle indicated they had scored. _Ten seconds in and we’re already losing…_ He used his stick to stand, watching Garrett warily as he jogged past. Stiles caught Liam’s eye and gave him a thumbs-up, “I’m ok.”

“Stiles?” Scott ran over to him.

“Yeah? I’m fine.”

“I know.” He gestured at Kira, “I’ll keep an eye on Garrett, and Kira can watch Liam.”

He’ll be fine, Scott.” Stiles pointed out, ignoring Coach’s yells for them to get back in position. “Let’s just play some damn lacrosse!”

Liam turned back towards the two Devenford Prep players guarding him. He moistened his lips as play resumed, dodging around them, running to intercept Brett after he stole the ball from Scott. He turned suddenly, trying a different route, when his way was blocked by two larger players. They moved together at the same time, shoulder charging him, throwing the Freshman backwards brutally. “Ugh!”

Stiles winced as he watched the werewolf slam into the ground, but Brett was in his face again. He tried to intercept, stick clattering off the ground as the Devenford player jumped to avoid his attack, instead managing to score against Beacon Hills again. “Come on!” Stiles groaned to himself. _Bloodbath._ He looked back down the field as Liam got to his feet, wrenching off his helmet and gloves, practically foaming at the mouth in incoherent rage. _Or a literal bloodbath…_

The red mist descended over his eyes and Liam growled, hands curled into fists, ready to launch into the smirking Devenford players. Stiles got to him first though and dragged him backwards, shoulder pushing against Liam’s chest.

“No, no, no!” Stiles muttered in his ear. “Nope! Not gonna happen.”

Liam glared at his former team until Stiles forced his face up, making him look at the older teen. It wasn't his voice, which was calm, or the steadiness of his heart-beat that pulled Liam back, it was the eyes, the connection between them. Liam released his anger and let his forehead rest against Stiles' faceplate. “Stiles…”

“You can do this Liam, come on, take control.” Stiles looked up as Scott lingered nearby. “He’s alright.”

“Yeah.” The Beta nodded, “I got this.”

“Ok.” Scott didn’t sound convinced, but turned when he heard his name being shouted by Coach.

“Useless, McCall! Worse than useless!”

“Sorry, Coach.”

“Stilinski! Take the damn reset!”

“Uh, ok.” He grinned at Liam and handed him back his helmet. “Alright! Let’s…” He trailed off as a massive player crouched against him. “Heh, you guys do know that anabolic steroids are illegal in the United States, right?” The player glared at him, “Quite a lot of facial hair, for a teenager! What are you on anyway? HGH? Gamma radiation?” The brute growled at him, “Err, ok!” Stiles smirked and grabbed the ball right as the whistle blew, before the other player had time to react. _Yoink!_ He dodged the attempt by Brett to block him in and tossed the ball across the field to Kira. “Go Kira! Run!”

Liam cheered internally as the Kitsune managed to evade the defenders, watching Scott run up beside her as support. He punched the air when she scored. “Yeah!” Stiles smiled at him and ran back to the center. 

“Yukimura!” Coach shouted out, “Get over here! Take a seat; you’re benched for the rest of the game.”

“Oh, come on!” Stiles grumbled as Kira walked dejectedly to the side-lines. _Well, at least we scored, not like the Riverside game last year…_

 

The game continued, another Devenford Prep score, another reset, another brutal takedown of Liam. Stiles gritted his teeth as he saw his boyfriend being flipped onto his side, landing on his arm. _Crunch._ The sound made his stomach clench and Stiles skidded to halt beside him, dropping to his knees. “Liam? Liam!” He pulled off his gloves and turned Liam over, the werewolf having curled up into a ball after the impact. 

Liam groaned, but opened his eyes, sitting up. “Ow.”

“C’mon.” Stiles offered his hand, pulling the Freshman up. Scott finished checking on the other downed Beacon Hills player and walked over to them. “How is he?”

“Winded. Looks like the Devenford player got it worse. Brett seems to be walking it off though.”

Stiles grunted and then blanched when he saw Liam’s dislocated wrist. “Oh man…” The Beta looked helplessly at Scott.

“It hurts, but I don’t know what to do?”

“Yeah, I do.” Scott pulled off his gloves and looked Liam in the eye. “This is gonna really hurt. Close your eyes. Both of you.”

Stiles complied and only opened them after the crack as Scott pushed the joint back into place, hearing Liam gasp in pain. “Ah!”

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’ll live.”

“Right.” Stiles said determinedly, anger flaring in his chest. “This fucking ends here!”

“Stiles?” 

“These guys are serious, they want you hurt, like actually broken. I’m not having it!”

Liam blinked, the scent rolling of Stiles was like boiling water, fury that made his nails itch, his gums feel full, as though fangs were about to descend. “Stiles, I-”

“Hey Brett!” Stiles screamed at the Devenford captain, striding across the field to the gathered players. “Think you can knock around Liam and get away with it?! Why don’t you pick on someone your own size, you dick?!!” He threw down his stick and ripped off his helmet. “Come and get me!”

“Uhh…” Liam glanced at Scott and together they ran forwards to grab Stiles, each taking an arm and pulling him backwards.

“Hey!” The teenager struggled fruitlessly in the werewolves’ strong hands. “Let go of me!”

"Stiles, leave it." Scott muttered, sensing that something was wrong by the way the other team had huddled around Brett.

“Look!” Liam cried out, as the referee moved in to check on him, the teen down on all fours, moaning and whimpering, eyes rolling about as though he was disorientated. “What happened to him?”

The sudden sound of a blade being retracted made them all turn and see Garrett standing behind them, smirking. The assassin wasn’t even trying to hide anymore. Stiles took a deep breath, feeling Liam and Scott lessen their hold on him, tamping down his rage. He glanced at Liam, looking him over. “Are you hurt? Did he cut you?”

“No, no, I’m alright.”

“He must have missed,” Scott said, turning back towards him and Liam. “He was aiming for you, Liam. He wants you dead.”

Stiles glared at Garrett, his pulse spiking, and he tried to move towards him, but Liam’s grip tightened. “I’m sick of this assassin shit!” 

“Stiles…Hey, c’mon, I’m ok.”

The referee called for a time out and Liam pushed Stiles forward to get him to move, but the Junior resisted, digging his heels in, furious gaze on Garrett. “Stiles.” Liam whined and finally the older teen blinked and looked at him. 

“Fine. But you stay away from him, understand? You stay right beside me, ok?”

“Ok.” The werewolf nodded and together they walked back to their side of the field, Garrett an unpleasant shadow at their sides.

 

“Coach?” Liam asked, playing up his limp, “I think my ankle isn’t fully healed. It hurts when I put pressure on it. Must have been all the tackles.”

“Gah!” Coach Finstock grumbled, nodding, “Fine! Fine! I need you for the rest of the season, take a bench! What the hell are you lurking about here for, Stilinski?”

“Nothing.” Stiles muttered, sitting down as far from Garrett as he could, while still looking daggers at the assassin. Liam sat down next to him, close enough that their legs and arms touched, leaning his shoulder into him comfortingly. He glanced at Stiles, offering him a smile, but the Junior just scowled, turning to glare at Garrett’s back as he stood up. _I’m gonna fucking kill him if he touches Liam._ His phone buzzed suddenly and Stiles pulled it out. “It’s from Lydia, she broke another third of the list.”

“Am I on it?”

“No.” Stiles frowned and looked at him. “But Brett is.”

“Where’s Scott?” Liam asked, scanning the players around him. “He must have overheard you.”

“And if Garrett is out here…” Stiles stood up quickly, looking back at the locker rooms where they had taken Brett, the puzzle sliding into place. “It’s a trap, they get Brett, but they also get Scott.” He bit his lip, looking at Garrett’s smug face and then at Liam. “Come on!” Stiles pulled his boyfriend up by the hand.

Liam followed Stiles, almost colliding into him as the Junior stopped suddenly outside the boys’ locker room. There were bodies sprawled everywhere, but Liam couldn’t tell if they were all dead or just out cold. He blinked when he saw Violet, Garrett’s girlfriend unconscious at Scott’s feet.

The Alpha looked at Stiles. “I think you better call your Dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the lacrosse parts of TW so much! To the point where I think I'd watch a show about lacrosse with all these hot guys and their drama without the supernatural bits! 
> 
> Anyway, likely to be the last update to this fic for this week; concentrating on the next chapter for my main fic from tomorrow until Saturday.


	15. Intervention

Stiles looked at Liam, and then back at Brett’s unmoving body. Scott gestured at him frantically, “Stiles!”

“Ok, ok, um, Liam, just, just stand over there, ok?” He pushed the Freshman across the hallway and pulled out his phone, scrolling rapidly. “Dad? Yeah, you need to come now. No, listen! The assassins, Violet and Garrett, are here, Scott just took her down, but there’s bodies everywhere, I don’t know who’s alive or dead. Just, just, send everyone, ok?” He ended the call before his father could ask him any other questions. Liam was still staring at the floor, Stiles looked back at Scott. “Is that Brett?”

Scott glanced at the lacrosse player, nodding. “Yeah. He’s out cold, but I think he’s been poisoned. We need to do something, take him to Deaton.” The Alpha looked at him as Stiles began to protest.

“What? No, I-”

“Stiles,” Liam came over to him, recovered, determined expression on his face. “We have to help him. I’m not on the list, we can go.”

Stiles looked between them and then at the other werewolf, “Fine. Scott, you and Liam grab him and I’ll bring the Jeep around. We need to hurry though; my Dad will be here soon.”

“Ok.” Scott nodded and beckoned Liam over. “Take off your lacrosse gear, it’ll just weigh you down.”

The Beta nodded and pulled his gloves and pads off, moving in to support Brett as Scott hoisted him upwards. Together they half dragged, half carried the player towards the far exit. “Hurry!” Liam cried out, “His heart-beat is speeding up, something’s wrong!”

“Stiles is here!” Scott shouldered the door open, hearing the growl of the Jeep’s engine. “Get in the back, you need to keep his head upright.”

Liam nodded and climbed into the backseat, Stiles hopping out to help Scott push Brett in after him. “What now?”

“Go, I’ll call Deaton.” Scott replied, stepping back, glancing at Stiles. “Go!”

Stiles grunted and hammered the accelerator, tearing off across the loose gravel of the access road. The Jeep bucked as it transitioned to the hard surface of the tarmac in front of the school. “Stiles!” Liam cried out as Brett bounced up and hit him in the chin. “Be careful.”

“Sorry.” The Junior muttered, adjusting his speed as he passed the incoming line of flashing sirens.

 

Deaton pointed at the metal examination table and Stiles struggled to carry Brett inside, Liam grabbing the shivering werewolf’s legs. “What’s happening?”

“I don’t know yet, let me examine him.” Deaton replied, picking up a pair of scissors. “Take off those arm pads, Stiles.” He directed, wasting no time in cutting Brett’s t-shirt away from him. The teenager was covered in a sheen of sweat, his skin feverish to the touch. Stiles nodded at Liam and they both moved in, as Brett began to shake in earnest. His eyes were open, human, but unfocused.

“Doc?” Stiles called out, “He’s not looking good!”

“Scott said he was stabbed,” Deaton replied, considering him for a moment, “Hold him down.” 

Stiles leaned on Brett’s shoulder, pressing his weight on the bucking teen. Liam pulled a face as yellow froth began to erupt from Brett’s mouth. “Eww, gross!”

“Hold him!”

“He’s going to choke!” Liam muttered, glancing at Stiles, seeing him equally repulsed.

"What the hell is happening to this kid?!"

"He's been poisoned by a rare wolfsbane." Deaton replied, coming around the table, "I need to make an incision and I need you to hold him as still as possible."

"Oh, yeah, easy!" Stiles grunted and looked at Liam, "Werewolf strength, Liam, use it!"

"I am using it!" He protested, half climbing onto the table to press Brett down harder.

"If you can't hold him still, the incision might kill him." Deaton warned. 

"My hands are slipping!" Stiles cried out, struggling to maintain a grip on the sweat-slick skin. 

Liam looked up at him, attention diverted for a moment. Brett's eyes were crazed as he sprung upwards, using the seconds of Liam's concern to push Stiles backwards into the shelves and throw the distracted Freshman into the other wall, Deaton stumbling away from him. The werewolf fell off the table, but managed to stand, looking around the clinic frantically. 

Stiles blinked his eyes, vision blurry, wiping a trickle of blood from a scrape on his arm. Liam was checking on him, but Stiles tried to point at Brett. “Go, Liam…Brett!”

“Stiles,” The werewolf turned suddenly, his yellow eyes glinting in the semi-darkness of the surgery. “Something’s here.”

Brett staggered towards the exit, his movements erratic and feral. Stiles managed to blink his eyes clear to see the werewolf taken down by another, blue eyes shining across the room. “Peter.” He muttered, seeing Liam lower into a more defensive posture, his fangs already out, claws adorning his spread fingers, a low growl coming from his boyfriend. “Liam, it’s alright.”

The Beta glanced behind at him, and nodded slowly, releasing his breath at the same time the other werewolf's eyes turned back to grey. The Beta swallowed awkwardly as the fangs disappeared, his mouth feeling strangely empty. He watched the other werewolf-Peter- carefully, moving aside to let Stiles examine Brett.

"Hey, Doc, I don't think he's breathing."

They crouched beside him, Stiles watching as Deaton carefully cut into Brett's chest, between his pectoral muscles. The werewolf gasped, bucking as a fine yellow mist rose from where Deaton had cut.

"Is he ok?" Liam asked, lingering behind Stiles, looking up at Peter every few seconds, ready to defend his boyfriend if he had to. _Something about this guy sets my nerves on edge. I don’t think Stiles likes him either…_

"I think he'll be fine, but he'll probably be out for a while."

Stiles frowned, leaning in closer as Brett's mouth began to move. "Can you hear that? What's he saying?"

"The Sun, the Moon, the Truth." Liam muttered, "What does that mean?"

"Three things cannot long be hidden," Deaton sat back, looking at them, "The sun, moon, and the truth. It's Buddhist."

Stiles frowned suspiciously as he saw the words register with Peter. The werewolf avoided all of their eyes and instead looked at the floor, whispering, “Satomi.”

 

Liam glanced at Stiles as the teenager stood up. “What now?”

“We go home. We can leave Brett with you, right?” He asked Deaton, seeing the vet nod.

“Yes, I think that would be best.”

Stiles inclined his head, gesturing for Liam to go first. He gave one more glance at Peter, but the werewolf was still lost in thought. The cool night air hit him as they left the clinic, Stiles shivered.

“You ok?”

“Just cold. C’mon.” Stiles climbed into his Jeep and looked at Liam. “Never mind me, are you alright?”

“Yeah, I just…that was intense, you know?”

“Welcome to my life.” The Junior muttered, swinging out onto the road, “Pretty sure we just forfeited the game though. We probably still would’ve lost with our star player on the bench.”

Liam flushed as Stiles grinned at him. “Thanks.”

“Don’t be so shy, Liam, you know you are _that_ good!” Stiles laughed. “The first match of the season is against Riverside in a few weeks, and we’ll pwn ‘em, right?”

“Right.” Liam grinned at him, his mood lifting. 

 

Stiles pulled in outside the werewolf’s house, wincing as his tires skipped against the kerb. “Ok, here we are.”

“I thought we were going to your place?”

“Err, no, um, you’re still only fifteen, your Dad will worry.” Stiles shrugged awkwardly. “Plus, he already thinks I’m pretty irresponsible, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Liam said, disappointed. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Hey!” Stiles reached out to him, stopping the teenager from leaving. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Oh.” Liam smirked as Stiles arced his brows. “Of course.” He leaned in, kissing Stiles. The werewolf moaned softly as he felt his boyfriend’s tongue against his lips, mouth opening naturally to let him in. Liam shivered as a spark arced up his spine, Stiles holding him close, kissing him deeply, until they were forced apart by the need for air. “Woah,” he muttered, blinking as Stiles stared at him and grinned. “What?”

“Your eyes, they’re yellow.”

“Huh?” Liam looked in the rear-view mirror. “Oh. Why?”

“Err, I’m guessing because you’re losing control? Or getting aroused?” He clicked his tongue suggestively, but held out a hand to stop Liam going back in. “Um, as much as I like you, I don’t really like an audience.” Stiles nodded at the figure standing in Liam’s driveway, sack of garbage in one hand.

“Crap. My stepdad. I better go.” 

“Ok.” Stiles kissed him once more on the lips, smirking as he saw Liam’s eyes fade back to their natural color. “See you tomorrow.”

“Bye.” Liam got out and watched Stiles drive away, hearing the footsteps of his step-father behind him.

“So that’s him, huh?”

“That’s him.” The werewolf whispered, smiling.


	16. Taken

“Hey Liam, you up here?” Mason called out as he stuck his head around the door. “Your Dad let me in…” He trailed off, seeing Liam shirtless in the middle of the room, lifting two dumbbells like they were made of air. “Oh my god, you are so ripped.” He whispered softly, swallowing hard. “Uh…”

“Huh?” The teen turned around, lowering the weights. “Hey. We’re going running, right?”

“Yeah. Did you forget?”

“No.” Liam replied defensively. “I just lost track of time.”

“Yeah, well, your arms are pretty pumped, so let’s go!” Mason said, a hint of jealousy in his voice. “You, uh, working out for Stiles?”

“Huh?” The teenager stared at him, as he struggled to pull on a black vest. _I thought this was bigger…_ “No. Let’s go.” Liam frowned as Mason smirked at him. “What?”

“Nothing.” Mason laughed quietly, following Liam out the front door into the warm sunny morning. “Just, err, you seem to be putting in an extra effort since you met him. And you’re spending more time with him than with me.”

“Are you jealous?” Liam grinned at him as they started to jog towards the Preserve. “I’m hanging out with you now, amn’t I? Come on, pick up the pace!”

“Yes sir!” Mason rolled his eyes, but moved faster to keep up with his friend. “So, what’s he like, anyway?”

“Who?”

“Stiles!” He threw up his hands in frustration. “Dude, you get a boyfriend and you _never_ talk about him. And he’s older, more experienced, so, c’mon, spill!”

“Oh, well, he’s smart, really smart, and err, hot, really hot…” 

“Like you’re getting hard-right-now hot?” Mason arced a brow at him, grinning wide. “Or is that your phone?”

“Shut up,” Liam glared at him, having to reach down to adjust himself. “It’s more than that. He’s not…well, he knows a lot about, uh, stuff.”

“Right.” His best friend snorted, “So, you’re basically telling me that you don’t really know anything about him, other than the fact’s he’s really hot and really smart. Basically, he’s me!”

“Yeah, except so much hotter!”

“Bro,” Mason faked offense. “That’s cold.”

“Plus,” Liam smirked at him, “I don’t think about you every time I jerk off.”

“Oh my god, dude, eww. We’re practically brothers!” Mason pushed him playfully, “So, basically you guys are making out all the time, instead of getting to know each other?”

“Pretty much,” The werewolf clicked his tongue, glancing at him. “But, err, not as often as I’d like.”

“Damn, well, at least you’re getting some. I’m gonna be alone forever!” Mason grumbled, and then frowned. “Hey, so, I know that the game was called off last night, but do you think you could, um-”

“No.”

“I haven’t even asked you yet!”

“You want Brett.” Liam stated flatly, “Not. Gonna. Happen.”

“Fine.” They ran in silence for a few minutes, entering the Preserve and continuing along the path they always took. “You disappeared after that, last night, I mean. Did you see Garrett?”

“No.”

“You know what everyone’s saying, right?”

“I heard.” Liam replied shortly, not wanting to talk about it, but Mason pressed on.

“That him and Violet are _assassins_. Professional killers, man!”

“Uh huh.”

"It's not just that we were friends with them," Mason continued, looking at him. "They were using us. For their cover. Professional killers were using us! How are you not freaking out about that?"

"Trust me, I'm freaking out about a lot." _Like being a werewolf, like killers being after my friends, like not telling you about the biggest fucking thing ever! Or like how anxious I get when I’m not around Stiles…I’m freaking out big time!_ Liam heard blood pounding in his ears and his vision tunnelled, making him run faster. He sped up, suddenly running flat out, leaving Mason behind him.

“Hey! Liam! Slow down! Liam!”

 

 _Run, run, run!_ The words echoed in his mind as he sped through the forest, eventually the panic that had threatened to overwhelm him fading. Liam slowed down, looking around him. _Damn, left Mason behind. He already thinks I’m acting weird._ The werewolf stopped, feeling his vest stick to his skin, sun casting dappled shade across his sweat slick arms as it shone through the trees above. He looked back the way he came. _He’ll be ok though, right? I mean, I only left him alone in the forest. With a teen assassin on the loose. Crap._ Liam moistened his lips, there was something more than just running away from Mason was unnerving him. Stiles was playing on his mind constantly, he had felt a tight knot of tension growing in his stomach since the night before, when his boyfriend had driven off. It had only got worse as he lay in bed, thinking about Brett, and Scott, the assassins, the deadpool, the yellow wolfsbane…tossing and turning, and eventually jerking off to relieve the tension, third time that night and it still didn’t give him anything other than a temporary respite. He was tempted to call Stiles, to check on him, but that sounded over-protective in his mind, and insane when he started to text it. Instead, Liam had got up with the sun and just lifted weights to keep his hands busy. 

There was an odd sound behind him and the werewolf turned, not hearing the engine until it was too late. The impact was harder than he ever thought it could be, metal slamming into his knees and elbow, throwing him forward onto the asphalt, smashing his face off the rough surface. Liam groaned, hand immediately going to his face, his fingers wet with blood from his busted nose. He rolled over onto his back, dropping his hand to clutch his left arm, the limb on fire. It was strange, but he could almost feel the wounds healing themselves; bones repairing and the skin knitting itself back together. _Still hurts like hell._ Liam blinked his eyes rapidly, the blurriness fading, seeing the door of the SUV open, Garrett stepping out. 

"Hey Liam! Sorry about missing movie night." The assassin had a knife in his hand, no, it was the poisoned blade from his lacrosse stick. Liam groaned, trying to get his legs to work, but they were still broken, pain flaring across his knees as he dragged himself backwards. Garrett smirked cruelly at him, waving the blade in front of him. "But don't worry, I got something else planned!" 

Liam’s eyes widened in fear, but Garrett struck ruthlessly, driving the forked knife into his chest. The effects were instant, and his cry was muted, the poison rushing through his bloodstream. Liam gasped and collapsed, only his eyes able to move, looking up at the sun peering through the high canopy of the forest. He heard Garrett laugh at him.

“Got you now. I’m not killing you, Liam, you’re more valuable as a bargaining chip. And I’m pretty sure he’ll do anything to get you back, even if it means putting his Dad’s job at risk.” The assassin crouched over him and patted his cheeks with mock affection. “Hmm, I can almost see why!”

Liam glared at him, blinking furiously to try and stay conscious, even as the poison attacked him. The next few moments were flashes of light and dark, he could feel Garrett pulling him across the ground, but the sensation on his skin was numb, almost as though he was standing there, watching this happen to his body. The assassin grunted as he picked Liam up, muttering darkly. “Damn you weigh a ton. All that working out you do…even though werewolves don’t have too. Get in.” He dropped Liam on the back seat, looking around and then shut the door, climbing into the driver’s side. Liam could faintly feel the rumble of the near-silent engine through the leather seats. _On the move, he’s distracted. Reach for your phone!_ The werewolf’s fingers were completely numb, like useless rubber, barely able to slip inside the pocket of his running shorts to pull out his phone. _Got it! Stiles…_ Liam groaned as a wave of pain lanced across his chest.

“That’s right, now you’re feeling it!” Garrett laughed at him from the front. “But don’t worry, Liam, you’ll last longer than Brett did; there’s less poison in your system. I mean, you’re still gonna die before your boyfriend can ever find you!" There was a lurch as the SUV turned off-road and Liam felt the world spinning around him, falling into darkness, his phone dropping from his hands, unsure what he had been able to text to Stiles.


	17. Nightmare

_stilhgsrghy cfgdrg hhhfcgc_ Stiles frowned at his phone, the garbled text message was from Liam, but it didn’t make any sense. He looked up as Parrish opened the door for them. Lydia gestured for him to go first and Stiles slipped his phone back inside his pocket. “Thanks.”

"Your Dad should be back within the hour, you want to wait in his office?"

“Um, well,” Stiles glanced at Lydia and then back at the Deputy. "Actually, we want to talk to you."

"Privately," Lydia added.

Deputy Parrish looked between, brows pulled together suspiciously. “Ok?”

 

The Deputy took the page they offered him, and scanned it quickly. “Hmm.”

Stiles watched him closely, trying to gauge his reaction. “Well?”

“This is a hit list, right?”

“We call it the deadpool.” Stiles explained. “You recognise anyone?”

“Yeah, sure, the Sheriff had me run some of these names last night.” The Deputy glanced up at them. “I didn’t get any flags though.”

“Turn it over.” The teenager gestured at him, moistening his suddenly dry lips. He saw the man’s eyes widen and darted a quick look at Lydia. 

"Ok, that's kinda terrifying!" Parrish looked back at them. "What's the number for?"

"That's how much you're worth."

"Five dollars?" 

"Five million." Stiles corrected, holding out his hand to illustrate. 

"I only make forty thousand a year, maybe I should kill myself..." He looked down as Stiles and Lydia exchanged a glance.

“Um, don’t?” She suggested, and the Deputy laughed, shaking his head.

“There has to be some sort of mistake, I don’t…I don’t understand why I’d be on a hit list. Do you know?”

“Well-” Stiles began before he was cut off by Lydia.

“Each section of the list has been opened by cypher keys.” She glared at Stiles. “We need to find the third and final one.”

“How?”

“Meredith. No, wait!” Lydia reached out to touch Parrish’s arm as he turned away. “She helped us before, but she’s in Eichen House.”

“And that’s why you need me.” Parrish finished, shaking his head. “No. No way, you almost sent her into a breakdown the last time you talked to her. I can’t help you.”

Stiles turned away from them as Lydia began to argue her side, and pulled out his phone. He tapped Liam’s number, frowning when the voicemail kicked in after a few seconds of ringing out. _Huh. Ok, maybe he’s at school. Scott’s there, he’s probably seen him. I really should get Mason’s number, he’d definitely know what’s up with Liam._ His stomach clenched nervously, feeling that something was wrong, but it was nothing he could put his finger on. _Instinct, maybe._ “Scott?” 

“Hey Stiles. How’s it going with Deputy Parrish? Is he going to help you guys out?”

“Hey, yeah. No, we’re,” He moved further away from Parrish and Lydia, lowering his voice. “We’ve shown him the list and Lydia’s trying to convince him to take us to Eichen. But that’s not why I’m calling. Have you, um, have you see Liam today?”

“Funny, Mason was just asking me the same thing.” Scott replied, Stiles’ heart-beat spiking. “They were out running, Liam took off, and Mason hasn’t seen him since. I don’t think he’s in school, either. Why?”

“He’s not with me. And he sent me this weird text about twenty minutes ago.” Stiles bit his fingernail. “I don’t know Scott, something doesn’t feel right.”

“Don’t worry Stiles, focus on getting the final part of the deadpool. Liam will turn up, he’ll be alright.” With that Scott ended the call. 

Stiles nodded to himself, _He better be._ The teenager looked back to see Parrish walking out the door, silently shaking his head no. Lydia followed, but Stiles hung back, waiting for his father to return, pacing the office, glancing at his phone every twenty seconds, worry gnawing at his insides.

 

He looked out to the main office where Lydia was still talking to Parrish, she grinned at him, and the Deputy stared at her, arms folded. _Ok, we might be getting somewhere._ Stiles’ pulse spiked suddenly when his phone rang, Liam’s name on the screen. His hands shook as he tried to answer it quickly, crying out breathlessly. "Liam?!"

"I think you already know the answer to that, Stiles." The voice was a slow drawl, a mocking tone Stiles had come to recognise on the lacrosse field. He felt his blood run cold.

“Garrett.”

“Yeah, me. Thought I’d run away, did ya?”

"Where is he?"

"Come on, like I'm actually gonna tell you that."

"What do you want?" Stiles demanded, looking at the door, wishing his father would walk in. “Garrett!”

“Scott took something from me; all the money me and Violet got for our not-so-good deeds. I want-”

"I don't know anything about that." Stiles broke in, but the assassin just laughed.

"Then I suggest you talk to him, but that's only the start. I want the money and I want Violet. Or you never see Liam again."

The line went dead and Stiles slowly lowered the phone, dropping into the couch in his Dad's office, his hands shaking uncontrollably. _Oh god…_

 

He woke with a start, mouth filling with water, forcing him to kick down, not finding the bottom, but hitting stone walls instead. Liam managed to push himself upwards, breaking the surface of the cool water as it sloshed around him, sucking down air as his lungs expanded after the shock of the impact. He scanned his surroundings quickly, disorientation fading, blinking his eyes clear as memories came flooding back; he had been running, hit by a car, Garrett, getting stabbed…The werewolf patted his vest, gasping when his fingers found the hole, the still ruptured flesh slowly healing. He grimaced and looked at the yellow goo on his fingertips, stomach lurching. He could feel the wolfsbane racking his chest, coursing through his bloodstream like shards of ice. Liam tore his eyes away and tilted his head back, seeing the stone walls of the well reaching upwards towards a distant wooden grate and daylight beyond that. He treaded water, reaching back to brace himself on the slimy rocks, and studied the walls of the well. The entrance was so far away from him, he could feel his heart sinking. The werewolf dimly remembered being able to text Stiles. _I hope he got it, no, he had to, he’s gonna come, he’ll get me outta here. If he got the text, if Garrett didn’t…_ Liam whimpered softly in his throat. “How am I gonna get outta here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update is Sunday/Monday next. I'll be moving house next week so updates might be less frequent for a while.


	18. A Reluctant Alpha

Stiles stood up, his fingers tapping nervously on his jeans, hesitating before pulling open the door and heading for the exit. He saw Lydia move towards him, frown on her face.

“Stiles? Where are you going?”

“Err, I need to leave.” He replied shortly, walking into the sunlight. 

“Why? I’ve almost convinced Parrish to get us into Eichen House.”

“Yeah, well that’s one reason why I don’t want to go.” He wilted under her stare, “Fine. Garrett’s taken Liam, I need to get him back, I have to find Scott first.”

“What? Why would he take…oh.” She trailed off, nodding as though it was obvious. “Blackmail.”

“Yeah, he wants Violet back. And apparently, Scott took something from him.” The teenager wetted his dry lips, shifting from one foot to the other. “Liam’s strong, but Garrett was confident, and we already know they’re ruthless.”

“Ok, ok, go. I’ll figure out the cypher key on my own. Go on.” She looked at him. “Go.”

Stiles nodded and ran towards his Jeep, engine roaring as he screamed out of the parking lot, almost cutting across his Dad’s cruiser. He ignored the angry blast of the horn and sped up, travelling towards the school. His phone rattled in the cup holder, another call from Liam’s number. “Garrett.” Stiles muttered and picked it up. “What?”

“I want my-”

“I haven’t talked to Scott yet, you’ll get your money.”

“And Violet.”

“When I get Liam.” Stiles tried to bargain, but the assassin just laughed.

“Meet me by the school buses out back at eleven-thirty, and come alone. We’ll discuss the terms there.” The line went dead and Stiles swore loudly, pounding the steering wheel. 

“Fuck! Come on!” He glared at a car that had pulled out in front of him, recklessly over-taking it, before swerving hard into the school parking lot, dropping his Jeep in the nearest empty space. “Alright, Scott, where are you?” Stiles muttered to himself, getting out and texting his friend to meet him.

_On my way._

“Great.” Stiles chewed his nails nervously, glancing up every time a student passed by, heart jumping when he thought he spotted Garrett or Liam. But neither of them were there, illusions created by his restless mind. Scott emerged from the school building and Stiles walked over to him, gesturing sharply for the werewolf to follow him away from anyone who might overhear. “Finally.”

“Sorry, I was trying to shake Mason. The kid is suspicious.” Scott apologized.

“I don’t care about Mason.” Stiles looked at him. “Garrett has Liam.”

“What? How?”

“It doesn’t matter, he has my boyfriend, Scott.” He ran a hand through his hair, and shook his head. “Did you take Garrett’s money?”

There was silence between them as Scott blinked, licking his lips uneasily. “You know about that?”

“Yeah, Garrett wants it back. But he also wants Violet.” Stiles explained, shrugging. “We can give him the damn money, that’s easy.”

“But the rest?”

“I know. Look, he wants to meet me in five minutes, you come along and eavesdrop.” He looked at Scott, waiting for his friend to nod. “Good, just don’t get spotted, and we’ll figure this out.” Stiles ignored the disbelieving look Scott gave him.

 

Stiles glared at Garrett, the assassin smirking at him, lacrosse stick in hand as he leaned against the bus. “You came.”

“Of course, I came.” Stiles growled, “Where is Liam?”

“You can ask all you want, I’m still not going to tell you. Other than the fact that he won’t be escaping any time soon.” Garrett leered at him, “So, I have what you want, let’s get to what I want.”

“Scott will give you the money.”

“I want my girlfriend too.”

"Ok, how? You want me to go to my Dad, is that it?" Stiles barked, frustrated. "Or talk to Scott's dad, he's FBI."

“Hardly,” Garrett laughed at him, “I don’t need someone to _talk_ , I need someone to _act_. I called you because you're Liam's boyfriend, but it’s really Scott you’re going to need; the Alpha. He’s going to help me free Violet, and you’re going to talk him into doing it.”

“Free her?” Stiles shook his head, “That’s insane, you’ll never get Scott to attack the Sheriff’s Station!”

“Don’t worry about that, Stiles.” The smirk was back on his face. “I know that they’re transporting Violet to a Federal facility tonight and both of you are not going to let that happen."

“Even still, that’s-”

“She’ll be in a car, with two, maybe three, guards.” Garrett talked right over him, “That’s all. If you can’t get your best friend, the True Alpha, to stop one little car, then one little Beta is going to die!”

Stiles’ hands were balled into fists, and he glowered at Garrett, but he controlled his anger, breathing deeply, and muttered. "Fine. I'll talk to Scott."  
“Good.” The assassin began to walk away, but then glanced back, flashing Stiles an evil grin. "I stabbed your boy with the blade dipped in wolfsbane." Garrett demonstrated by flicking out the end of his lacrosse stick, the edge still yellowed. “Once it gets to the heart, bad things happen.” He turned on his heel and left.

Stiles felt his insides clench uncomfortably. _Shit. It’s been an hour since that text from Liam, Brett was immobilized after fifteen minutes, almost dead after forty. I have to find Liam now! He could already be…_

 

“Stiles!” Scott patted his cheek gently, snapping him from his nightmarish circle of thoughts. “What’s wrong?”

“Did you hear everything?” Stiles asked him, voice quiet.

“Yeah, he wants to break Violet out during the prison transfer; it’s risky.”

“Did you hear about the part where he stabbed Liam with the wolfsbane-tainted blade?”

“Err, yeah, but-”

“But nothing, Scott!” Stiles exploded, rounding on him. “We’re getting Liam back before it’s too late!”

“Ok, ok,” Scott tried to calm him down. “We’ll save him, Stiles, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to hurt any of your Dad’s deputies to do it.”

“You want him to die?!”

“No, no, of course not. But you gotta be reasonable here.”

“I am being reasonable.” Stiles responded through gritted teeth, glaring at him, “I’m standing here discussing it with you when we should be at the Sheriff’s Station, finding out everything we can about the transfer. I’m going Scott, I’ll fucking do it myself, if I have to!”

“No, Stiles!” Scott reached out to grab his arm, “I’m coming with you, of course. He’s my Beta.”

“Good.” The teenager grunted and gestured at the parking lot. “C’mon.”

 

Liam wiped the water from his face, looking down at his chest, the wound still healing, stinging whenever it touched the water. His pulse was racing, blood pounding in his ears. _Stop panicking! You need to calm down and figure a way out of this! But, what if there isn’t? I know what happened to Brett, I was there, I don’t want to turn into a frothing mess like him!_ Liam glanced around the well, looking for something, anything that could help him. He didn’t even know where he was, or what time it was, the patch of daylight was so far above him. “Help!” He called out, his voice echoing around the well. “Help! I’m down here! Stiles? Scott? Anybody there?! Somebody help me! Please! Somebody help me!" The panic overwhelmed his voice and Liam started to scream, “Please! Stiles! Stiles! STILES!”

 

Stiles shook his head, watching Scott talk to his father, the FBI agent looking grim. _We’re wasting time, so much time, c’mon, Scott, let’s just do what Garrett wants and get Liam back! We can chase them down later._ He jumped when a hand was placed on his shoulder. “Dad!”

“Are you ok?” The Sheriff frowned at him. “You’ve been acting weird since you got here. Weirder than usual.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Stiles avoided the question in his Dad’s voice. 

“Don’t worry about Violet, Stiles, myself and Agent McCall will be accompanying her to Federal holding.”

“What?” He blanched and turned to stare at the Sheriff.

“Well, he’s worried about losing evidence again.”

“Oh, but-” Stiles started to say something when Scott gestured for them to leave. “Err, see you later.” _I hope…No, that’s fucked up, he’ll be fine. Scott’s not going to hurt him, just free Violet and we’ll get Liam back, and, I’ll, I’ll explain it all to Dad later. Yup…shit._ He glanced at Scott as they climbed into the Jeep. “Well?”

“It’s crazy, Stiles.”

“I don’t care, we have to get Liam back.” 

“What about Garrett and Violet?” Scott turned to look at him as Stiles started driving towards the rendezvous point the assassin had arranged to meet them at. “We can’t just-”

“Liam, Scott!” Stiles roared at him, “Your Beta! My boyfriend! He’s strong, so he’s alive, he has to be. But who knows for how much longer? Don’t you get it?”

“I get it!” Scott shouted back at him, eyes turning red, before he calmed down. “I get it. We’ll save him, Stiles. Turn here.”

Stiles followed his directions, a tense silence forming between them, slowing as his headlights picked up Garrett lounging in front of his SUV, waiting for them, bare blade of the lacrosse stick on the hood. Scott glanced at him, and nodded. “Ok?”

“Yeah.” Stiles replied and killed the engine. “Let’s go.”

 

Garrett pointed his weapon at Stiles gesturing for him to sit in the passenger seat. “Get in.”

“Fuck, Garrett!”

“Don’t want you doing anything reckless now, Stiles.” He smirked. “Follow my directions and you’ll get your boyfriend back. Same for you Scott, unless you want me to kill your best friend.”

“Ok, ok.” The werewolf sat in the back seat, hands raised. “We understand.”

“Good.” Garrett started driving, the stick sitting in his lap, fingers loosely curled around the grip, blade pointing at Stiles. “Let’s do this.”

“It’s not going to work.” Scott said, shaking his head.

"All you have to do is stop the car." The assassin replied as he pulled into the hard shoulder, his eyes flicking between the mirrors. "I'll take care of the rest. And you'll do it, if you want any chance of rescuing Liam."

The unmarked police van drove by and Scott pulled up his hoodie, concealing his face. “Fine.”

Garrett looked at Stiles. "Get out."

"What? That wasn't the deal!"

"Get out, and once I have Violet, you'll get Liam back." He gestured impatiently with his weapon, looking meaningfully at the teenager. “Out.”

“Fuck!” Stiles cursed, but stepped out of the SUV, watching it pull out quickly in pursuit of the prison transport. “C’mon, Scott, don’t mess this up!”


	19. Anchor

“Scott has this, right? I mean, he’s the Alpha. The True Alpha,” Stiles corrected himself as he walked back to his Jeep, looking up and down the road hopefully each time a car passed, hoping that it would be Scott with his dad and the Sheriff, not Garrett and Violet. He started talking aloud again, anything to keep his mind from going to _that_ place. “Yeah, he’s got it, and he won’t fuck it up, because Liam is his Beta, well, I mean, he’s my boyfriend, so that’s more important, but still! Scott has this…He has to.” Stiles reached his Jeep, digging into his pocket for his keys as his phone began to ring. _Scott. Already? I guess so, fuck, answer it!_ “Uh, yeah?”

“Stiles…”

“Well? Scott? Did you…where’s Liam?”

“Stiles,” Scott exhaled, static on the line. “I didn’t get it, there was…complications.”

“Complications.” Stiles echoed woodenly. He leaned on the hood for support. “What the fuck happened, Scott?”

“Kate, the Berserkers, I don’t know what she was after, they trashed the car, Violet’s gone, Garrett is…” Scott hesitated again after his words spilled over each other. “He’s dead. Damn Berserker ran him through before I could…argh.”

“Scott? Scott, what’s going on?”

“Everything is spinning. Are they using poison too? Maybe I just hit my head, I can’t…” The Alpha sounded distant and Stiles started when the line went dead. It sounded like Scott had dropped the phone.

“Scott? Scott?! Shit!” Stiles turned suddenly and pounded his fist on the hood. “Damn it! Without Garrett, we have nothing, no leads, no…just, fuck. C’mon!” He glared at his phone and punched the metal again, the pain in his hand distracting him for only a moment before the hopelessness of the situation came flooding back. “How am I meant to find you now, Liam? I can’t track you by scent, you went missing in the woods, you could be anywhere, and the wolfsbane. Oh my god…” He trailed off, sinking to his knees as tears pricked the back of his eyes.

 

He didn’t know how long he stayed on the ground, the damp grass soaking into his jeans. But Stiles finally moved when his phone rang again. It was a different number this time, one he didn’t recognize. Stiles stared at it for a moment before sighing and answering. “Yeah?”

“Stiles? It’s Chris Argent.”

“It’s not really the best time.” Stiles mumbled.

“I’m with Scott, he was stabbed with a Berserker dagger.” Argent explained. “They smashed him up pretty bad, he’s healing, but don’t worry Deaton is here to take out the dagger.”

“I’m not worried about Scott, I-”

“I know.” The hunter broke in, “Your Dad is ok, minor bruises; Scott’s father was taken to Beacon Hills Memorial. I think I might know a way for us to track Kate.”

“What good will that do? Only Garrett knew where Liam is!”

“Kate took Violet, don’t know why, but there’s still a chance Stiles. Come to the Clinic, Scott might be able to get a scent from the weapon; we’ll find Liam.”

“Right.” Stiles replied numbly as he lowered the phone, getting into the Jeep. “Ok, so now we’ve got a hunter on our side, but it’s…it’s been hours, there’s no way he’s still alive.” Stiles suppressed the panic that threatened to overwhelm him at the realization. He bowed his head until his forehead touched the steering wheel, cursing his own helplessness.

 

“Stiles?” Liam called out one last time, hearing the name echo around him. _I don’t know how long it’s been, but he’s not here. No is, just me._ He looked up at the top of the well, the cloudless night sky was overhead, moon shining brightly, a single star nearby. “I gotta do this myself.” The werewolf muttered, moving towards the opposite wall. “Ok, this looks like a good place to start climbing.” He reached up and dug his fingers into the first grip, pulling himself upwards, other hand grabbing a slippery stone that stuck outwards as his feet scrabbled for purchase underneath. Liam breathed deeply, but then lost his grip, sliding backwards into the water. “Damn it!” He tamped down the frustration that threatened to overwhelm him and instead waded back to the wall, looking for a different handhold this time.

 

Stiles pulled into the parking lot of Deaton’s Clinic, little more than a patch of loose gravel at the front of the building. He dropped out in time to meet Scott at the door, Chris Argent supporting him. “I thought you said he was ok?”

“I am.” The Alpha muttered, clutching his side. “It was just deeper than expected, I’ll be healed by the time we find them.”

“So, you have the scent?”

“Yeah, I’ll track them on foot.” Scott explained, nodding at Argent in thanks. “You two follow me. And Stiles,” He paused, waiting for the hunter to leave, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, Scott. He’s not dead yet.” Stiles brushed off his friend’s apology, keeping his thoughts private. “Liam is strong, he’ll pull through, but we need to find Violet, she’s our only hope right now.”

“We’ll find her. Whether or not Kate will let us talk to her is something else.”

“Yeah, I know.” Stiles went back to his Jeep. “Ready when you are.”

 

Liam rested for a moment, half way up the well shaft, the going was hard, and tiredness dragged at him, trying to throw him back into the waters below. He gritted his teeth and moved upwards, hand easily fitting into a space between two stones, but his right foot was free, hanging in the air. “C’mon…Ah!” The werewolf grunted as he found a purchase. He paused, catching his breath, looking upwards for the next hold, ignoring the filth and grime that covered his skin, and reached up, muscles straining as he grabbed the rock, digging in his fingers. The moon was clearer now, hovering above him, out of reach, almost mocking him. The water reflected it back at him and even without his enhanced vision, he could see the next rock ahead of him. _Flat surface, hard to grip._ Grunting, Liam reached for it, gasping as he managed to get a hold, stomach clenching as his fingers slipped for a moment before digging in. “Ok! Ok, only another ten, twenty feet? Ok.” He blinked, looking towards his hand, watching in slow motion as it slid backward. Liam looked around desperately for another grip, but felt himself slipping instead, the hold under his feet vanishing, his other hand trying to grasp the stone harder. "No! No! NO!" He cried out, falling backwards, crashing into the water, stuck at the bottom of the well again.

Liam erupted from the water, rage flaring uncontrollably in his stomach. “Argh!” He roared and lashed out, punching the wall with an audible crack. Pain exploded along his knuckles, and the werewolf gasped, tears in his eyes, “Ah, ow.” Liam cradled his hand, blood streaming down his wrist, the flesh torn off, white bone showing through. His stomach turned and he staggered backwards, leaning against the wall, hearing Stiles' spectral voice in front of him.

"Oh yeah, that will really help." 

He blinked and looked around, confused. It was like his boyfriend was there with him. “Is this what dying feels like? Am I going to see my life pass before my eyes, starting with the best part?” He looked down, the wound where Garrett had stabbed him was healed, but he could feel the effects of the wolfsbane as it thundered through his bloodstream. “This is hopeless.” Liam sobbed and rested back against the wall, letting his hands trail in the water. He swallowed and looked at his fist, the skin healing slowly, remembering the conversation Scott had with him after Lydia’s party. The Alpha had shown him the broken window, explaining that he had shattered the strongest chains they had and bust through the window.

 _I broke through that?_ Liam replayed the conversation in his mind.

 _Yeah,_ Scott replied, looking at him seriously. _But the cuts healed because of your power. Which is good for you, but not for anyone else._

 _I hurt Stiles,_ Liam said, hanging his head, voice small.

_You didn't mean to. But, still, you need to get a grip on this._

_I've been trying for years..._

 

Liam rolled his head back, staring at the moon high above him, the memory fading, even as others lined up behind it. The time in the locker room with that other werewolf, the confrontation with Brett, the preparation for the lacrosse game…all of them were moments where his rage should have overwhelmed him, should have caused him to wolf out and go crazy. But he didn’t. Because Stiles was there, because Stiles needed him, they had a connection like nothing else he’d ever experienced. "Stiles is my control. I need to get to him. If I'm trapped down here, who's protecting him up there?" The thought sent a chill down his spine and Liam nodded determinedly to himself, prepared to climb again.


	20. Rescue

Stiles pulled up alongside Scott as the werewolf straightened up from his leap. The Alpha had led them all across town, until they came to the industrial district, Stiles losing track of Scott when he took to climbing up and across buildings. The teenager tapped his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel, looking around as Chris Argent stopped opposite him. Stiles got out and nodded at them. “Well? Is this it?”

“The trail ends here.” Scott confirmed. “Although I’m not sure where ‘here’ is?”

“Argent Arms International.” The hunter replied, coming around to join them. “I used to work there when I was younger. I suppose it makes sense that Kate would come here.”

“Yeah, but it’s not just Kate.” Stiles pointed out nervously. “It’s Kate and at least one Berserker. I watched Scott, Derek, Malia, and Kira go up against them, and they barely escaped alive.”

“Yeah, this is a bad idea.” The Alpha frowned. “But if she has Violet-”

“Then we’re going in.” Stiles saw the hesitation in their eyes and ground his teeth, turning towards the warehouse. “Well, _I’m_ going in.”

“No, Stiles, wait!” Scott called out, grabbing his arm. He looked at Argent. “You have a plan, right?”

“I wouldn’t call it a plan, exactly.” The hunter grinned and opened the back of his SUV, taking out a large gun. “This is an M4 carbine, fully automatic, military grade, with armor-piercing rounds.”

“Great.” Stiles said after a moment of silence. “Can we go now?”

“It could be a trap.”

“Of course it’s a trap, Scott!” He sighed and looked at the werewolf. “But we still have to go.”

“Fine.”

 

Stiles pushed aside a bundle of cables, looking around the abandoned warehouse, emergency lights flickering over the exits, providing an ethereal glow through the dust and trailing plastic sheets. He glanced at Scott, the werewolf nodding silently towards the end of the building. Stiles moved closer when a voice echoed out from somewhere ahead of them.

"You shouldn't have come." 

"Kate? We're looking for Violet. I need to talk to her!" He responded quickly, stopping as the woman’s shadow appeared in front of him. Stiles looked back at Chris. “Just tell us where she is. I’m sure we can come to some sort of agreement.” Scott glared at him, but the teenager shrugged. “Huh?”

"I wish you hadn't come here, I don't want to do this now. I need more time." 

"For what?"

"To learn control." Kate emerged, long claws out, with two Berserkers flanking her. “But I think I know what you want.”

“Oh?” The hunter trained his gun on his sister. “What’s that?”

“Not for you; it’s for Scott, or Stiles.” She looked straight at him, and Stiles moistened his lips quickly. “Ah, before you speak, she tried to use the information she had on Liam’s location to trade for her freedom. She died.” Kate grinned at him, before looking back at her brother. “She died.”

“Where is he?” Stiles demanded, sounding braver than he felt as the Berserkers hefted their spiked gauntlets in his direction. “Tell me!”

“Fine.” She pulled her gaze from Chris and turned to him. “He’s in the Preserve, a place they thought could keep a werewolf, even one who can leap. An old well, in the forest, off-”

“I know it.” Stiles cut across her, turning to Scott. “Let’s go!”

“What?” The werewolf shook his head, “Stiles, I can’t leave.”

Stiles ignored Kate’s mocking laughter and stared at his best friend. “It’s Liam-your Beta! It’s been hours since he was stabbed, c’mon, Scott, I’m barely holding it together here, I need you as much as he does right now.”

“Stiles, you’ll only get hurt if you stay here, I can help Chris, even if it’s just to buy you time.” The werewolf forced a smile, “Like you said, the Berserkers are nearly unstoppable. You can’t help us, but you can help Liam.”

“Fuck this. Ok, ok, I’m going.” He backed off slowly as the Berserkers roared and charged forward. Stiles turned and ran back to his Jeep, the sounds of battle ringing in his ears. _Sorry Scott. Liam, I’m coming!_

 

Stiles pulled the steering wheel hard, cursing as he almost missed the turnoff. “Crap! Ok, ok, it’s ok. Uh, the well, it’s the big one, Dad always told me to avoid, near the, err, um, the tree with the massive bird’s nest. Yeah, ok.” He talked to himself, flicking the headlamps to full and sped along the narrow trail, branches scrapping against the Jeep’s paint. Stiles ignored it, and looked out his passenger window, spotting the landmark. “Ok, here goes!” He revved harder and turned off-road onto the forest floor, bucking up and down in his seat as the Jeep bounced and rocked across the rough terrain. Stiles gritted his teeth, swerving left and right to avoid trees, pressing the accelerator into the floor to pick up more speed. He ignored the squeal of protest from the engine. "Nearly there. C'mon, c'mon!"

 

Liam grunted as he looked up, the top of the well seemed closer than before, when he had fallen off. “Not this time.” He muttered and stared back at the rocks in front of him. “Just keep climbing.” It was a struggle, and every new grip meant letting go of one where he was sure he was secure. His heart hammered and blood pounded in his ears, but it just made him more determined to get to the top, to get out, and find Stiles. The moon was directly overhead now, lighting his way. The Beta frowned, half thinking he heard the sounds of an engine approaching the well. “No, that’s insane, wishful thinking, Liam, c’mon, next grip. There!” He stretched upwards, fingers scrabbling on the surface of the slick rocks, before finding his grip in the space between them. The werewolf pulled himself upwards, a tightness in his chest causing him to cough and splutter. He dug in his fingers, keeping his hold as his feet dangled in the air. _No! It’s happening! I can’t breathe…_ Liam gasped for air, gulping some down, before another wave of coughing erupted. _It’s…like with Brett, not long now, I can’t heal anymore. Tired, so tired._ He could feel himself slipping again. "No." He muttered, managing to get his feet back on the side of the well. “I’m so close.” The moon shone down on him, bathing him in the pale glow, Liam rested his head against the wet rocks. “A break, just give me…”

 

Stiles cursed as his Jeep roared over an embankment only to crash down on the ground, the right-side tire blowing out, sending him rocking forward in his seat. The Jeep slewed to a halt, a deep furrow dug into the forest floor behind him. “Ugh.” He groaned, looking around, dazed. But the seat belt had kept him from smashing his head off the windshield. “You’re ok, go, go, go!” Stiles tried the engine, wincing as he heard it chug, gears grinding. He looked up, spotting the well. “It’s close enough.” Stiles jumped out of the Jeep and sprinted towards the edge, shouting as he did so. “Liam? Liam! LIAM!” He skidded to a halt at the lip of the well, smiling as he spotted his boyfriend clinging to the wall just below the surface. “Hey!”

"Stiles?" The werewolf looked up at him, blinking. “Are you real?”

"Hell, yeah, I’m real! I'm here! Hang on." Stiles ripped the wooden boards off the top and leant over the edge, hands stretching for him. "C'mon! You can do it, Liam!"

"I'm trying!" He struggled, his grip failing, feet scrabbling against the smooth, wet rocks. “I’ve been poisoned, I think, I can’t-”

“You can!” Stiles reached for him, the Beta was holding on by one hand. "Reach!" He leaned further over the edge, hooking his feet to support himself. Stiles grabbed Liam’s wrist. “I have you!”

Liam didn’t move for a few seconds, catching his breath, feeling Stiles take his weight. Then the werewolf looked up, eyes yellow, and nodded. Together they managed to pull him out of the well, Stiles falling back down on the leaf-strewn ground, Liam collapsing on top of him, both teenagers panting heavily. 

 

Stiles hugged Liam close to him; he was wet, though warm, sweat and grime mixing together, a gritty texture on his bare skin, but Stiles didn’t care. “I got you, you’re safe.” He whispered over and over again, pulling Liam back to look at his face. “I’m here.”

“I know.” The Freshman managed, he tried to speak again, but instead broke into another fit of coughing. “I…argh.”

“Ok, ok, just hold on.” Stiles supported him, patting his own pockets until he found his penknife. He pulled it out, and looked at Liam. “Part of me is amazed that you’ve held on this long, but we need to do this now, cos I’m not sure we’ll make it to Deaton.”

“Err.” 

"He stabbed you, right? With the poisoned blade?" Stiles pressed, hand on the side of his neck, tilting Liam’s face upwards.

"Yeah, I..." Liam couldn't finish his sentence, devolving into another, worse, coughing fit. Stiles flipped out the knife, quickly cutting open Liam's vest and pushing him down on the ground. "Try and hold still, ok? I'm not gonna be able to keep you down."

"Ok." Liam braced himself, grunting as Stiles sliced into his skin, the hiss of released wolfsbane as a cloud of yellow mist erupted from his chest made him gasp. “Gah!”

Stiles blinked as the incision healed itself as he cut. He looked away, dropping the knife in relief. “Finally.” He smiled to himself as Liam hugged him fiercely from behind. “It’s over.”


	21. Aftermath

Stiles stood up, offering his hand to Liam, nodding back at his Jeep, still sitting at an odd angle. “We should get back, tell Scott and Mason that you’re ok.”

“I guess.” Liam took his hand and held it tightly as they walked towards it. “What about Garrett?”

“Don’t worry about him. He’s, uh, he’s dead.” He replied shortly. “Violet too; Kate and the Berserkers got to them. I’ll tell you all about it when we get home.”

“Ok.”

Stiles groaned when he saw the busted wheel, “C’mon…” He gestured for Liam to follow him, glancing back. “You’re still cold?”

“Lingering effects of the wolfsbane, I guess.” The werewolf replied through chattering teeth. “I’ll warm up soon.”

“No point doing it in wet clothes.” Stiles opened the trunk and handed him a towel. “Here, take off your pants and whatever, and cover yourself in this.” He pulled off his shirt, leaving him in a t-shirt, and offered it to Liam. “Put this on.”

“Thanks.”

“And sit in the passenger seat, I think I left a candy bar in the dash.” Stiles watched him go around and leaned back inside, grabbing the jack and tire iron. “I’ve changed these tires twice before, and both times it’s a pain in the ass. We’ll be here a while.”

“I can help.” Liam offered, tucking the towel around his waist. 

“Uh, if I can’t get the jack in position, maybe you can lift the Jeep up?”

“Yeah,” The werewolf laughed, turning serious when he saw Stiles looking at him calmly. “Wait, for real?”

“You really don’t know how strong you are.” The teenager replied, kneeling down to inspect the busted tire. “Hmm. Ok.” He pushed the jack under the vehicle and started pumping. “Got it. You ok?”

“Yeah, just thinking.”

“What about?”

“Garrett. Why’d he do it?” Liam looked down at Stiles, confused. “I mean, I’m not on the list and we were kinda friends. I don’t get it.”

“Err, Violet was arrested, he wanted her back.” Stiles replied, spinning the lifted wheel carefully, checking for damage. “He knew that you were Scott’s Beta, thought he could blackmail the Alpha into getting her free in return for your safety.”

“Did you? No,” He corrected himself, “You said the Berserkers got to her. What are they?”

“Really big, really strong, really crazy guys in bones and pelts that seem to obey Kate Argent.” He finished taking the nuts off and grunted, pulling at the heavy tire. “Almost…got it!” Stiles sat down hard, busted tire in his hands. “Ok, hard part done. So, yeah, also, Scott stole Garrett’s money they got from killing all the supernatural creatures. But I think Garrett went through me because he knew about us.”

“Us? Oh, right.”

“Yeah,” Stiles walked around to the rear, pulling the spare off the door. “I’ll be done soon. You eaten that chocolate bar yet?”

“Eating it now.” Liam smiled to himself and pulled it out, eyes following Stiles as he walked back to the front of the Jeep, hefting the tire. “So, I’m strong enough to lift this Jeep, huh?”

“Yeah, stronger than that, actually.” He crouched down, lining up the holes carefully, squinting in the darkness. “Hey, can you come here? I can’t see this properly.”

“Got it.” Liam dropped onto the ground, one hand securing his towel, “Um.”

“Closer, use your werewolf eyes.”

“I, um, I don’t really know how to do that. It just happens.”

“Heh.” Stiles laughed to himself and stood up, cupping Liam’s chin, kissing him hard on the lips. 

The teenager resisted for a moment, surprised, but then reacted, opening his mouth to let Stiles’ tongue brush against his own. His hand pulled Stiles closer, but the human had other plans and moved away. “What? Oh.” 

Stiles smirked at him, looking into his boyfriend’s yellow eyes. “Can you see it now?”

 

Stiles replaced the tools in the trunk, shaking his head at the shredded tire. _That’s gonna cost me. Still, no price is high enough to get Liam back._ He walked around, climbing into the driver’s seat. “You ok?” He said, glancing at Liam.

"Yeah." He closed the door and looked at Stiles. “So, where is Scott? Why didn’t he come get me too?”

“He…wanted to.” Stiles replied after a momentary pause. “But, um, well, he tracked Kate and her Berserkers to an old warehouse the Argents own; him, me, and Chris Argent.”

“He’s the hunter, right?”

“That’s right. So, we knew she was in there, with Violet. I don’t know why, but Kate told me where you were; Violet tried to bargain her way out.” Stiles looked at the well in the distance, “Maybe she thought it would force Scott to leave, letting her kill her brother, I don’t know.”

“But he didn’t.” Liam frowned, “Why not?”

“Scott, err, it’s not that he wants to be the hero, but he does feel that he needs to protect everyone, even if that means not being able to save them himself.” Stiles struggled with an answer. “Look, I’m here, I got you out, and Scott is fine.”

“How do you know that?”

“He texted me, ten minutes ago.” He replied, scrolling through his phone. Stiles twisted his keys in the ignition, grimacing as the engine chugged mechanically for a few seconds before grunting and roaring into life. “Phew.” He checked his phone again, a new message coming through. "Fuck."

"What? What's wrong?" Liam stared at him. “Stiles?”

"Lydia cracked the final part of the list."

"I'm on it?"

"Yeah." Stiles sighed, looking at him. He smirked suddenly, "But you're worth three million dollars!"

 

Stiles indicated for the turnoff into Liam’s street when the werewolf touched his arm. 

“Stiles?”

“What?”

“I don’t want to be alone tonight. Can I stay with you?”

“Um, I’ll have to ask my Dad.” Stiles replied, smiling. “I’m sure it’ll be fine, just get ready for his disapproving face.”

“But he always looks…” Liam trailed off, as Stiles grinned wider. 

“Yeah, except this time he’ll have this mean line where his mouth used to be!” The teenager sped up a little, approaching his own street. “I’ll convince him.”

“How?”

“I’ll tell the truth.” Stiles idly scratched his head, glancing at Liam. “Weird.”

 

“…so, then I managed to pull him out of the well.” Stiles said, gesturing to illustrate. “But! Remember that he was still poisoned at this point, so I had to get my knife and-”

“Stiles!” The Sheriff broke in, hands out. “That’s enough. I believe you, and I believe he went through a hell of a time tonight.” He nodded at Liam, sitting in the armchair. “Fine. You can stay over, once your step-father oks it, of course.”

Liam groaned internally, but nodded, accepting the phone from the Sheriff. He dialled quickly. “Hi.”

“Liam? Where have you been? Your phone keeps going to voicemail.” The man sounded irritated and Liam sunk into the chair. “Liam? Where are you now?”

“I’m at Stiles’. There was, err, I lost my phone.”

“Why aren’t you at home?”

“Um…” Liam looked at his boyfriend for help, but it was the Sheriff who intervened, gesturing for the werewolf to hand over the phone. “Stiles’ Dad wants to talk to you!” He blurted out in a rush and gave him the phone. “Thanks.”

“Dr Geyer, Sheriff Stilinski, we’ve met before.” The Sheriff walked into the other room, “Yes, I know. No, he’s here. Well, I was thinking…”

Liam looked up as Stiles came over to him, “Do you think-”

“My Dad will convince him.” Stiles nodded, perching on the arm of the chair. “I have a blow-up mattress you can sleep on back from when me and Scott used to have sleepovers.”

“You don’t have them anymore?”

“Not really.” He shrugged, “If it’s not werewolf stuff, it’s girlfriend stuff. We’re still best friends, but it’s been a while since we really spent a weekend hanging out.”

“You miss him? Like that, I mean?”

“Sure, but I have you now!” Stiles grinned, leaning in to kiss him. There was a gruff cough behind him and he pulled back. “Dad? What did he say?”

“Liam can stay.”

“Great! He can sleep on the blow-up, right? That’s ok?”

“Yes, it’s fine.” The Sheriff winced. “Look, I told Melissa I’d be back in twenty minutes an hour ago. There’s ringing, and your excitement is not helping my headache.”

“What?” Stiles jumped up, concerned. “Well, you should go then. I’ll make us snacks and-”

“Don’t…” The Sheriff trailed off, cheeks tinged red. “Just, sleep well Stiles, Liam.”

The werewolf watched him leave, frowning. “Uh.”

“Um, I’ll make up that bed.” Stiles said quickly, handing his phone to Liam. “If you want to call Mason, tell him you’re ok?”

“Sounds good.” 

 

Liam shifted around, unable to get comfortable, hugging the pillow to him, but it wasn’t right. There was something missing. He looked up at Stiles’ bed, a few inches above him, enhanced hearing detecting the regular beating of his heart, the creaks in the house as it settled, the wind blowing against tree outside Stiles’ window. Liam sat up, pushing the covers down, Stiles’ too long t-shirt reaching past the baggy boxers his boyfriend had given him to sleep in, his own clothes drying downstairs. The werewolf wet his lips nervously and slipped into Stiles’ bed, moving closer to the teenager until he could feel the heat from his body.

Stiles was lying on his back, pulled into wakefulness by a sudden chill. He groaned, rolling onto his side, finding Liam staring at him. He blinked. “Uhh…”

“Hi.”

“Hey,” Stiles whispered back, “You ok?”

“Yeah, can’t sleep. I…” He dropped his gaze for a moment before looking back at Stiles. “I need you.”

“Ok.” That was all he said, gesturing for Liam to enter his embrace, their hands clasping the other’s back, legs a tight tangle. Liam rested his head against Stiles’ chest, breathing in his scent, calming, soothing, making in all so much easier to control. He began to drift off to sleep, the older teenager stroking his hair comfortingly.


	22. Pancakes and Second Impressions

Stiles rolled over, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand. He stopped, realising Liam was staring at him. “What?” He muttered.

“Nothing,” The werewolf smiled, “Just watching you sleep. You know, you talk, in your sleep, I mean.”

“No, I don’t.”

“How do you know?”

“Someone, I, you, hmm…” Stiles sighed and glared at him. Liam chuckled to himself, snuggling closer to his boyfriend. “What time is it? Have you been awake long?”

“About half an hour, I guess. It’s kinda late though; nine thirty.”

“Oh, shit.” Stiles sat up suddenly. “We’re super-late.”

“Yeah.”

He looked at Liam, slow smile spreading across his face. “But, are we too late?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, even if we got up now; shower, breakfast, driving, we wouldn’t be there for another…”

“Hour at least.” The werewolf finished, catching on. “Not much point is there?”

“No, there isn’t. And it’s a Friday.” Stiles laid back down, shuffling closer to him. “After all the crap we’ve been through the last few days, I figure we’re owed today off.”

Liam smiled back, leaning in to kiss him softly. He frowned a moment later as a thought hit him. “Wait, don’t you have the PSAT tomorrow? I overheard you and Malia talking about it last week.”

“Spying on me?”

“No,” Liam replied quickly. “I just, it doesn’t matter.”

“Uh huh.” Stiles grinned, rolling onto his back, hands folded behind his head. “I’m not worried about it.”

“Good.” Liam moved over, intertwining his legs with Stiles, half lying on top of him, half lying on the bed, chin resting on his chest. He looked at his boyfriend. “Can we stay here?”

“Err.”

“Right here, I mean. I don’t wanna move, ever.”

“Heh,” Stiles smirked, stroking the Freshman’s hair. “Sure, we can stay here.”

“I…you’re the best, Stiles!” Liam turned his head, resting in back on Stiles’ t-shirt, finishing his initial words in his mind. _I love you._

 

It was just after midday when Stiles finally pushed him to get up. Liam buried his face in the pillows, muttering, “I don’t wanna!”

“Liam, c’mon, get up.” Stiles knelt over him, “Go and have a shower, and I’ll make you pancakes.”

The werewolf looked up suddenly. “Pancakes? I love pancakes!”

“Yeah.” He grinned, “Go on, it’ll be ready when you get downstairs.” Stiles kissed him lightly on the lips and got off the bed. Liam watched him go, and then pulled the duvet off, rolling out of bed. He stretched, feeling his muscles fully refreshed and recovered, the werewolf healing powers removing any of the strain he had put them through the night before. It seemed like a long time since he had been trapped in the well, the night’s sleep and being with Stiles had that effect on him. Liam smiled to himself as he heard Stiles humming in the kitchen below him. He stripped out of the clothes he borrowed, darting across the hall to the shower.

Stiles looked up as Liam entered the kitchen, his hair still wet, water trailing down his cheeks and neck. He finished the final pancake and pulled it out onto the plate, pushing a tall stack towards his boyfriend. “Do you want syrup with that? I think we have lemon too, or sugar?”

“Syrup’s good.” Liam grinned at him. “Can’t remember the last time I had pancakes. Mmh!”

“Well, I just hope they’re ok.” Stiles replied, dribbling the sweet liquid over both of their stacks. He waited until the werewolf bit into one, smiling as the teenager’s expression drifted between surprise and pleasure. “Good, huh?”

“Oh my god, Stiles.” Liam replied, stuffing another one into his mouth. “It’s really guff!”

He laughed, taking a bite of his own. “Yeah, I’m happy with that.” They ate in silence for a moment, until Stiles looked at him. “Hey, Liam?”

“Yeah?”

“About last night, I…”

“Don’t Stiles. We don’t need to talk about it. And I don’t really want to.” He shook his head. “All that matters is that you were there for me when I needed you, and you can count on me to do the same for you.”

“Thanks.”

“But as well as that, there’s something, I don’t know, calming, maybe, about being around you. I like it.” He looked at his near-empty plate, continuing to talk quietly. “I’ve struggled for a long time with controlling my anger. The pills don’t help, the talking doctor is useless, and ever since I got the werewolf powers, I feel like I’m one outburst away from seriously hurting someone.” Liam looked up. “Except when I’m with you. Then everything clicks. It just feels so _right_. It’s not like you’re controlling me, it’s, uh.”

“I’m your anchor.” Stiles said, nodding. He explained as Liam frowned. “So, werewolves sometimes are able to control themselves using a mantra or channelling their anger. But most of them need an anchor. Someone to hold onto and pull them back from when they’re losing control.”

“Yeah, that’s what it feels like.” He stood up, moving around the breakfast bar towards Stiles. Liam hugged him tight, resting his head under Stiles’ chin, breathing in his scent deeply. “Being with you is just so right.”

Stiles was about to reply when the phone rang. He reached out, frowning and answered. “Hello? Oh, err, yes, Dr Geyer, good…morning.”

Liam pulled back, looking at him. He could hear his step-father speaking. _Stiles. Where’s Liam?_

“Uh, he’s here.” Stiles shook his head at his boyfriend. “I, uh, figured it was better to skip school today after what happened.”

_Skip school?_ Liam winced at the man’s tone. _Can you bring him home, please? I’m about to start a shift in an hour, I’d like to see him before then._

“Yeah. We’re on our way.” Stiles replied dejectedly.

 

He pulled in, the Jeep shuddering to a stop. Stiles frowned at the dashboard, “Hmm, maybe the wheel wasn’t the only thing damaged last night.”

“I’m sorry, Stiles.” Liam said, glancing at him. “Thanks for bringing me over.”

“Yeah, I don’t really want to, I don’t know, be away from you?” He shrugged, ears burning. “That’s sounds sappy, I-”

“No, it’s not.” The werewolf grinned at him, leaning in kiss him over the gear stick. They broke apart after a moment, Liam glanced at the front door. “Hey, do you wanna come in? If my step-dad is gonna be out for the evening, and my Mom doesn’t seem to be home yet…” He trailed off hopefully.

Stiles considered it, and then nodded. “Yeah, ok.” They got out of the Jeep, Liam leading the way, Stiles walking slowly behind him. The door was opened, and Dr Geyer stood aside to let them in. “Hi.”

“Hello.” He replied, frowning slightly. “Stiles, right?”

“That’s right. Nice to meet you.”

“Hmm.”

An awkward silence stretched between them, as Liam looked from one to the other. “Err, didn’t you say your shift was starting soon?”

“Yes.” Dr Geyer looked at Stiles, “I don’t condone under-age drinking, or skipping school for that matter, but considering what happened last night, I suppose I can give you another chance. Liam certainly likes you.”

“Err, thanks?” Stiles glanced at his boyfriend and then back at the doctor. “What exactly did my Dad tell you happened yesterday?”

“Well, apparently, Liam went for a run and got lost.” He replied, looking at them both. “Everyone was out looking for him, you found him, he had twisted his ankle and fell. That’s what the Sheriff said.”

_And why would the Sheriff lie?_ Stiles asked himself silently; it was clear Dr Geyer didn’t believe it. Aloud, he said. “Uh, yeah, that’s right.”

“And no one thought to tell me?”

“They didn’t want to worry you.” Liam muttered.

“Yeah, err, with Violet and Garrett out there, one captured, the other being hunted by the police, we didn’t want to over-react.” Stiles added. “The important thing is that Liam is safe and fine, and not hurt.”

“On that note, you really should be checked out at the hospital.” He looked at Liam. “Now.”

“What? No, I don’t need that, I’m fine. My foot’s fine.” The werewolf stared at the floor, muttering. “Stop embarrassing me in front of Stiles…”

Dr Geyer grinned, before quickly suppressing it and gesturing for them to leave. Liam smirked at Stiles and set off down the hallway towards his bedroom.

 

Stiles glanced around at Liam’s bedroom; a mess of clothes and laundry and lacrosse gear dumped on the bed, a couple of lacrosse posters on the wall, another of Master Chief, his Xbox idling in the corner, school books dumped on the desk, weights stacked beside his closet. He sat down on the office chair as Liam muttered that he needed to change. Stiles watched him, strong, smooth muscles coming into view as the Freshman pulled off the t-shirt, tossing it onto the pile. Sweat pants were next, Liam hesitating a moment before dropping them, Stiles felt a twitch in his own pants at the sight of his boyfriend’s pale, firm ass. “Going commando?” He grinned.

Liam glanced at him over his shoulder, “Well, my clothes are still wet…”

“Do I sound as though I’m complaining?”

“Haha, I guess not.” The werewolf grinned and opened his closet, obscuring Stiles’ view as he turned. “Um, do you wanna play _Halo_?”

“Yeah, sure.” Stiles nodded, swivelling around to tap the power button, dragging out the two controllers from under the monitor. He looked around as Liam re-joined him, new sweats and a t-shirt. “Looking good.”

“It’s casual, comfortable, you know?”

“Yeah, but everything looks good on you.” Stiles grinned at him, flicking his eyes across Liam’s body suggestively, “Even nothing at all!”

The werewolf moistened his lips, feeling a stirring from his trunks. “Err, multiplayer mode?”

Stiles frowned, and then realised he was talking about the game. “Yeah. Ok.” He grabbed his controller, looking at Liam from time to time. _Remember he’s young, he’s only fifteen. Try and control yourself…But those arms, fine smooth skin, and did you see his ass?!_ Stiles coughed and tried to concentrate on what he was doing.

Liam looked up as his step-father poked his head in the door. “What?” He continued playing, grunting as he took damage.

“I’m going to work, there’s snacks downstairs if you want them. Your mother will be home in the evening; it’s the earliest flight she can get back.”

“Uh huh.” Liam nodded absently, and then cheered loudly. “Oh yeah!”

“Hey! That was my kill!” Stiles cried out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having some problems with my internet, I'll update when I can.


	23. Exam Nerves

Stiles put down his controller and sighed, rubbing his hands over tired eyes. Liam was looking at him. “Sorry, but I should go.”

“Why? It’s not cos you’re getting your ass handed to you by me again, is it?” The werewolf gave him a cheeky grin. 

“No.” Stiles smirked and shook his head. “I promised Scott I’d do some last minute PSAT study with him.”

“Oh. Ok.”

“Besides, your Mom is gonna be home soon, don’t you want to see her after her trip?”

“I guess,” He looked down, “I like spending time with you.”

“So do I. I’m great company!” He laughed as Liam pouted. “Aww, c’mon, Liam, I’ll talk to you later, ok?”

“Fine.” The werewolf grunted, but kissed Stiles hard before he left, muttering to the empty room. “Miss you already…”

 

Stiles nodded at Melissa, taking the stairs quickly as Scott called out for him from his bedroom. “Hey, Scott! You ready to…” He trailed off, seeing the expression on his best friend’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“Sit down, Stiles.”

“Ok.” He did so, cross legged as the Alpha fidgeted and paced in front of him. “Scott, you’re scaring me, what is it?”

“So, that money, the money that Garrett wanted back,”

“Yeah?”

“I took it from his car, after we gave it to him.” Scott explained, kneeling down to drag a duffle bag full of cash from under his bed. “Err, you were distracted with Liam, so, I guess that’s why you never asked me, but, um…”

“Why did you take it, Scott?” Stiles frowned at him. “How much are we talking here?”

“I didn’t want the cops to have it. It’s evidence, right?” He swallowed hard as his best friend nodded. “Yeah, I thought so. But, damn it, Stiles. We, I…” Scott avoided Stiles’ piercing eyes and stood up, going over to the light switch. He flicked it, but nothing happened. “Power’s off.”

“I can see that.”

“Because the bill hasn’t been paid.” He glared at the bag of money. “Because my Mom can’t afford it.”

Stiles was silent for a moment, before tipping the money onto the floor. “We should probably count it.” He pushed the grubby stacks of bills to one side, his fingers finding a tape. “Huh. What’s this?”

“Uhh, cassette tape? Um, I think my Mom has an old stereo that we can play it on.” Scott stood, “I’ll go get it.”

“Yeah,” Stiles nodded absently, already counting the money.

 

The tape finished playing with a click and Scott frowned at the stereo. He looked up at Stiles and arched his brows. “What do you think?”

“I don’t know, other than the fact that someone wants you dead, dude.” Stiles shook his head slightly. “You and every other supernatural in Beacon Hills, including Liam.”

“I’m sorry, Stiles.”

“What for?”

“C’mon, we both know that you were looking for a normal, hot boyfriend without any of the supernatural bullshit.” Scott sighed. “Freshman’s a bit young, but, hey, hey, I’m not judging you.” He added as Stiles glared at him. “Anyway, um, those instructions don’t mean anything to me.”

“Guess you have to be a supernatural assassin to know that stuff.” Stiles replied, reaching out to stop the Alpha as he began to throw the money back into the bag. “Err, what are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“That’s half a million; five hundred thousand dollars, Scott!” Stiles hissed at him.

“I know, that’s why I have to give it back.” He looked at the other teenager as if he was stupid. “It’s Derek’s.”

"His and Peter's." Stiles reminded him. 

"What does that mean?"

"It means maybe we should proceed with caution." 

“You want to keep it?” Scott stared at him.

“No, I’m just…” Stiles huffed, standing up. “Think about it Scott, your Mom is downstairs pleading with the power company to keep the lights on. I heard her when I came in.”

“So, I should just steal it, pretend that we never recovered it from Garrett?”

“I’m not saying we take it all; a bundle, two.” Stiles moistened his lips. “Spoils of war.”

“Stiles.” Scott groaned. “I can’t do that. Not even if-” He broke off, frowning as they both heard the loud thudding of steps on the wooden stairs. “Crap!”

“Hide it!” Stiles cried out, diving back onto the floor, pushing the money into the bag with Scott, their hands crashing against each other. They managed to get the bag under the bed and popped up, Scott grabbing Stiles around the waist as he slipped on the rug.

Malia stared at them. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing.” Stiles replied quickly.

“You’re both sweating, and your pulse is really high.” She blinked and opened her mouth, but Scott cut across her, voice higher than normal.

“What’s up, Malia?”

_If that’s your “I’m calm” voice, Scott, we need to talk._ Stiles thought to himself as the were-coyote looked between them, a smirk on her lips that made him uneasy. “Uh, yeah, why are you here?”

“I found something, in the woods, with Derek.”

“Oh?”

“It’s the other pack; they’re all dead.” She replied emotionlessly. “Derek thinks it’s some sort of poison, but they looked as though they died in pain.”

“All of them?” Scott muttered.

“Well, Derek said he caught a scent of one werewolf; he had crawled off and Derek went after him.” Malia replied, looking between their ankles. “What’s under the bed?”

“Nothing! Nothing at all.” The Alpha kicked backwards as Stiles rolled his eyes.

“We were going to do some last-minute study for the PSATs, in the living room.” He added, gesturing for her to leave Scott’s bedroom. “I know you’ve done a lot of studying already, but, uh, you want to join us?”

 

Stiles chewed his lip nervously, standing in line with the rest of his friends. He wasn’t really paying attention to what Kira was saying, chewing his nails and fidgeting instead. Scott caught his attention, nodding down the hallway. Stiles looked up as Liam approached him. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

“Came to wish you good luck.” His boyfriend grinned at him. “Gonna play some lacrosse with Mason while you’re in here, but maybe we can do something afterwards?”

“Yeah, definitely.” Stiles nodded, tapping his feet nervously. “Should take a few hours.”

“Ok.” Liam leaned in, kissing him hard, lips parting, and slipping his tongue across Stiles’. He ignored the stares and wolf-whistles from the other Juniors lined up behind him. The Beta pulled back, smirking. “Good luck, Stiles. You’ll be amazing!”

Stiles watched him walk away, grinning stupidly. He looked back at his friends, “Cute or what?!”

Malia shrugged, “So, have you mated yet?”

Kira gagged on the mouthful of water she had taken, as Stiles flushed. “Malia!”

"What? You haven't? Or have you? I don't-"

"Malia." Kira hissed at her.

Scott was looking at the ceiling with great interest as Stiles laughed nervously. “No, uh, not-”

“Oh, well you should because-”

“Malia!” Kira glared at her and pulled the were-coyote to one side. The classroom door opened in front of them and Stiles rushed forward, never so glad to enter an exam.

 

Stiles tapped his foot nervously, putting his extra pencil in his mouth as he waited for the start of the exam. 

“You may begin.”

He flipped over the first page, reading the questions quickly, and filling in the answers with the pencils in both of his hands, rapidly moving through the exam paper. Stiles pushed everything else out of his mind; the assassins, the money, Liam, especially Liam. _And his sexy little smirk, the way his lips go into that…no! Concentrate Stiles!_ He kept going, flipping over another page and reading the question quickly. Stiles paused, pencil hovering over the circles. Frowning, he re-read the question twice. His eyes narrowed and the spare pencil fell from his mouth. _What the hell is this shit? Is that even English?_ He dropped both pencils and cradled his head in his hands. _This…this can’t be real! Maybe I was out when we did this? Chasing werewolves and saving the town…_ Stiles twisted the exam paper around, frowning at it. _Ok, C, right? It has to be. Err…shit. Just guess, Stiles, just guess and move on._ He picked up his pencil and went to fill in the bubble. There was a crash and thud behind him. Stiles turned quickly to see Sydney on the floor. He glanced at Scott and Malia, shrugging as Mrs Martin helped her up. Stiles frowned, overhearing their conversation. _Something on her wrist? Stress reaction, maybe?_ His eyes followed Lydia’s Mom as she made an excuse to the moderator and left the classroom. Scott shook his head, confused, when Stiles caught his eye. The teenager felt the familiar sensation of unease settle across his stomach. He swallowed hard and returned to the test.

 

He had finished the first section when they heard the shouting; Mrs Martin screaming at someone to stay away. Stiles got up, joined by Scott, and ran out into the corridor, other students gathering around them, trying to see what was going on.

“Go back inside!” She shouted at them, pointing to the classroom, pulling out her phone. 

Stiles sighed and returned to his seat, looking at Scott, as the werewolf frowned, clearly listening to her phone call. The teenager stared at him when Scott muttered under his breath. “CDC…?”


	24. Outbreak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly longer chapter this time, since I haven't been posting at my normal pace. Enjoy!

Stiles looked to his right as Scott was joined by Kira and Malia, all four watching as the strangers approached, fully kitted out in HazMat suits, carrying suitcases and bundles of gear past them. He glanced past them towards the front doors, seeing a plastic containment tent being set up just outside. 

“What do you think they’ve doing?” Scott whispered to him.

“Probably locking the building down, no one in or out.” Stiles replied, clearing his throat. “Liam’s out there.”

“I’m sure he’s alright, Stiles.” Scott patted him on the shoulder. “It’s probably just a precaution.”

“Yeah, I’m not really worried about that part,” He frowned, lowering his voice further as Mrs Martin walked by. “If he thinks I’m in danger…”

“Right.” The Alpha nodded, understanding. “He’s certainly formed an attachment to you.”

Stiles glanced at him, frowning. _Is that jealousy? Or resentment? Huh, whatever._ “Yeah, um, looks like they’re taking Sydney into isolation.”

“I’ll see what I can find out.” Scott said to them and walked after her.

Stiles fidgeted nervously and gnawed on his nails.

“Stiles, stop.” Malia grabbed his arm, “You’re drawing blood. I can smell it.”

“Sorry,” He muttered, instead tapping his foot. “I, just, hang on, I’m gonna…” Stiles trailed off, moving towards the man standing in front of the exit. He held up his hands as Stiles approached.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you leave.”

“I’m not sick.”

“Please return to your classroom.” The man replied, slightly muffled through his breathing apparatus. “We will give you more information when we can.”

Stiles looked at the ground, considering his options. He glanced at the doors, seeing two more CDC personnel standing outside. “Fine.” He walked back to the classroom, slipping inside as Malia and Kira surrounded him. “I’m not sure, only that they’re not letting anyone out. But it’s serious.”

“What is it?” Kira asked, an edge of fear to her voice. “CDC is a big deal, they don’t just come out for the flu.”

“Centers for Disease Control,” Stiles explained, seeing Malia’s blank expression. “But you’re right. I bet they think it’s smallpox.”

"Not likely." The moderator commented dryly behind them. "Smallpox was eradicated worldwide in 1979. We've only managed to completely eradicate two viruses in history. The other was rinderpest. It killed cows." He said, staring off into the distance.

"So, we should be comforted by that?" Stiles joked. "Right?"

"Unless it's something worse."

Stiles looked away. _Well, that’s creepy as fuck._ He got a sudden urge to itch and scratched vigorously across his chest and shoulders, ignoring the look Malia was giving him. He got up and went over to grab his phone from the security bags. “I should probably call my Dad; he’s the Sheriff.” Stiles explained to the man. 

“Don’t bother.” He flipped over a page in his book, not looking up. “They would have blocked all communications coming from the school. They don’t want anything to get out and start a panic before they know what’s going on.”

“Right.” Stiles put his phone back and re-joined his friends. _Guess you’re gonna have to wait, Liam._

 

Liam looked around at the flashing lights and bustle of the CDC and Sheriff’s officers as they set up the containment field around the school. He kept looking for Stiles, but no one was coming out of the school, making him nervous. Mason had moved away from the police line and was sitting on the grass. The werewolf bit his lip, and then saw the Sheriff coming out of the command tent. “Hey! Sheriff!”

The man stopped, looked over and him and sighed. Then he walked over to him. “Liam. You really shouldn’t be here.”

“Stiles is in there.”

“I know.” The Sheriff rubbed a hand over his face. “I know. But right now, there’s nothing we can do.”

“Let me in there!” Liam pleaded, but Stiles’ father shook his head.

“No way. Even if I could, I wouldn’t.” He glanced around, making sure they weren’t being listened to. “They don’t know what this is, not yet. Maybe it doesn’t affect werewolves, maybe it does. But I know Stiles wouldn’t thank me for letting you take that risk.”

“But-”

“Stay here.” The Sheriff said to him firmly as one of his officers called out his name. “I’ll update you when I can.”

Liam glowered at his retreating back, but walked away, going towards the lacrosse fields at the back of the school. Mason hurried after him, but the werewolf ignored his friend’s questioning look. _I have to get to Stiles, something is wrong, I feel it. There has to be a way._

 

Stiles trailed Mr Yukimura into the boy’s locker room, following his outstretched finger to where Scott was slumped against the lockers, his face dripping sweat. “Oh, shit.” He muttered, seeing Scott’s eyes flicker between red and brown. “Why are you doing that?”

“I don’t know,” The Alpha replied, lowering himself onto the bench. “It just started happening a few minutes after I left Sydney. I can’t control the shift.” He held up his hand, claws emerging from the nail beds. “See?”

“Oh, yeah. Fantastic.” Stiles replied sarcastically and then looked behind him as Kira and Malia entered the locker room. “What is it? You too?”

“All of us.” Kira said, “Our abilities are just appearing, like we’ve lost control over them.”

“Not good.” Stiles muttered, scratching the back of his neck. _Damn, is it just me, or is it getting hotter in here?_ He wiped the sweat off his upper lip. “Ok, this isn’t good at all. Whatever it is, it must be affecting supernatural creatures differently from humans. We need you to stay out of sight.”

“How?” Scott managed to stand up. “The locker room is fine for now, but I heard the CDC leader say that they’ll start to sweep the school.”

“Looking for the point of origin.” Mr Yukimura nodded. “Yes, you need to go elsewhere.”

“We need to quarantine you from the quarantine.” Stiles blinked rapidly as his vision swam. _No, no, no. You need to be the strong one here, Stiles, keep it together. Now, where can we go? Oh, of course._ “The vault. The Hale Vault.”

“Yeah, of course.” Scott agreed. “But isn’t the entrance outside?”

“Sure, but I think Peter said that the vault was here before the high school. So, they would have had a way to get into it.” Stiles looked at the teacher. “Can you get the blueprints of the school?”

“Yes, go to the faculty lounge. I’ll get them.” He left immediately, and Stiles turned to the other three.

“We can make it there without you guys completely wolfing out, right?” He forced a smile and looked at Kira, “And whatever the Kitsune equivalent is?”

“Yeah. We can do that.” Scott said determinedly, plunging his hands in his pockets.

Stiles went to the door, pulling back as two CDC officers walked past. He poked his head out cautiously and waved to his friends. “Ok, let’s go!” They moved quickly, racing down the hallways until they came to the right door. Stiles tried to open it. “Damn, it’s locked. Can you-”

Scott shouldered the door, interrupting him. “There.”

“Ok, everyone in.” Stiles went over to the water cooler, pouring himself a cup of water. He paused with it halfway to his lips, feeling their eyes on him. “What?”

“Seriously?” Kira stared at him. “You’re going to drink that? It could be the source!”

“Err, right, of course.” Stiles poured the water away, running his tongue over his dry lips. The door opened and Mr Yukimura dropped a bundle of papers onto the table. “Um, ok.” He looked over the plans, and muttered, “The entrance is likely in the basement, south-west corridor.” Stiles went to point at the map, but instead slumped sideways, his legs turning to jelly. Malia and Mr Yukimura grabbed him. “Woah.” His head spun, and the world shifted queasily in front of him. 

“Stiles?” Scott was staring at him, his own voice weak and tired.

“Damn, I…” Stiles pulled up his sleeve, grimacing as he saw a nasty rash. “What the fuck?”

“It’s the same one that Sydney has.” The Alpha tried to smile. “Heh, guess you were right; it affects werewolves and humans differently.”

“We need to get out of here.” Stiles muttered, pointing at the map correctly this time. “Here. This is where the entrance should be.”

 

Liam flicked the last ball into the pocket of his lacrosse stick, and flung it with all his strength into the back of the net. “Gah!”

“Dude, calm down.” Mason said to him. “That was a perfect ten out of ten!”

“I’m out here playing games, while Stiles could be in there dying!” Liam shouted at him, fury rampaging through his body. The werewolf smashed his stick down on the ground and then threw it away from him. “What?” He snapped as his best friend just stared at him.

“Uh, nothing.”

“Fuck this!”

“Where are you going?” Mason moved to stop him. “Liam, they won’t let you in!”

“Yeah, and they’re not telling me anything either!” He growled, his hands curled into fists, the edge of pain from his claws digging into his palms just about keeping him from wolfing out in front of Mason. “I have to get in there.”

“Liam, that’s nuts. Stiles wouldn’t want you to get hurt, or worse, arrested.” Mason grabbed his arm, but Liam pulled away sharply. “C’mon, dude, we’ll just…where are you going now?”

“Away. Don’t follow me!” The werewolf barked over his shoulder, seeing Mason gesture helplessly. _Good._ He walked around the lacrosse field until he found himself between the library and the side exit. The school side was guarded by two deputies, but Liam’s eyes darted upwards as an idea sprang into his mind. _Not guarding the second floor…uh, chem lab has a flat roof._ He back-tracked and walked closer to the building, glancing around to make sure he was alone, before jumping upwards onto to the roof in one movement. Liam kept low and scurried over to the second level, peeking into each window until he found the upstairs restrooms. The windows were unlatched and he managed to pry them open, grunting in annoyance as the safety catch locked them into place. _Damn, that’s not enough. Oh, well, who’s gonna know?_ Liam grabbed the two metal pieces and pulled hard, blinking as they came away easily in his hands. The werewolf grinned and clambered inside, dropping to the floor soundlessly, pulling the window shut behind him. He emerged onto the hallway and snuck down the back stairs, pausing outside the locker room. Liam sniffed the air, picking up Stiles’ scent, mixed with that of Scott and Kira, maybe Malia too. _Strong. Recent. He was here._ He turned away from the main classrooms and followed the scent towards the basement.

 

Stiles looked frantically around the basement, pulling things away from walls as Malia and Kira searched the opposite end. Only Scott was motionless, head to one side, listening. Stiles was about to ask what it was, when Liam came running around the corner. “What the…?”

His boyfriend grinned in relief and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. “Stiles!”

“Liam, what are you doing here?” Stiles managed after the Freshman pulled back.

“I was worried about you.” He averted his gaze as the other members of the pack glared at him. “They weren’t telling us anything, I was scared that you, that all of you, were gonna get hurt.”

“Right,” Stiles muttered to himself. He took Liam’s hands, smiling at him. “It’s ok.”

“No, it isn’t.” Scott broke in, moving over to them. “What the hell were you thinking? Did you even think?”

“Scott, it’s-” Stiles begun, but Scott looked at him, red eyes glowing in the dull lightning of the basement. _Oh, crap._

Liam glanced quickly at him, smelling his sudden fear, and pulled Stiles away from Scott. The Alpha snarled angrily at him. “Scott…”

“You shouldn’t have come here! You could be putting everyone in danger! Don’t you see that, Stiles?” He directed the question to his best friend, gesturing with one clawed hand.

Liam lowered himself slightly, standing in front of Stiles, his claws and fangs flicking outwards. “Get back!”

Scott growled at him again, but the Beta didn’t back down. “Liam!”

“No! You don’t talk to him like that!”

“Enough.” Stiles tried to stop them, but as he moved forwards, the world seemed to invert and he collapsed against a stack of metal shelves, sliding down until he was sitting on the hard concrete. “Ugh.” Liam immediately broke away from Scott and crouched in front of him. Stiles raised his hand, the image dancing in front of his eyes. The werewolf clutched his hand, young face creased with worry.

“Stiles! I’m, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” He reached out to touch his boyfriend’s forehead, frowning as the skin felt feverish. “Shit.”

“I’m fine.” Stiles muttered, leaning his head back against the cool metal, “Just need a minute.”

“Yeah.” Liam nodded and glanced back at Scott, seeing the Alpha looking sheepishly at him, rage drained away.


	25. The Vault

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a tear-jerker, this chapter...

“I’m fine, really.” Stiles insisted, standing up with Scott’s help as Liam looked at him suspiciously. “And…your Alpha is right, you shouldn’t have come; you’ve put yourself in too great a danger.”

“Stiles.” Liam whined, looking pathetically at him. “Please don’t be mad!”

The teenager didn’t answer, instead looking at Kira and Malia, “Any luck? Have you found the entrance?”

“I think so.” Malia muttered. “Scott, over here.”

Liam moved closer Stiles as they pushed aside a tall metal shelf. The Beta opened his mouth to speak, but his boyfriend walked away from him, towards the wall. “Mmh.”

“This is it.” Stiles nodded, “See the pattern carved into the wall?”

Scott joined him, looking pointedly at the grill. “Um…”

“Right.” _We need Malia to open it, don’t we? Stupid Hale werewolf magic! Maybe it’s not magic, but still._ “It’s like the entrance outside; it only opens with claws. Anyone’s claws, right?” Stiles said, flicking his eyes from Scott to the were-coyote.

“Um, yeah.” He turned to look at her. “Malia! Can you try?”

“Why me?”

“I don’t have control.” Scott held up his hands, human.

“I’ll do it!” Liam darted forward, but Stiles pushed him back.

“You’re still in the doghouse after that little stunt!” He glared at his boyfriend, feigning his anger. The Beta hung his head and stood beside him silently. Stiles looked at Malia. “Will you?”

She stared at him for a moment and then shrugged. “Ok, I’ll do it.” Stiles and Scott breathed a sigh of relief. “If you tell me what you’ve been hiding from me.”

“What? Nothing!” Scott replied too quickly. “Err…”

“Well, um,” Stiles struggled for words feeling her eyes bore into him. He quickly reached down and grabbed Liam’s hand. “Nothing, we haven’t been hiding anything from you.”

“Yes, you have.” She said stepping forward towards them. Malia stopped as Liam started to growl protectively, staring her down. “Fine. Ok, guys, I know I’m on the list.”

Scott glanced at Stiles and nodded, “Err, yeah, we didn’t want to-”

"Upset you." The teenager finished quickly. 

“Well? How much am I worth?”

“Four million dollars.” Stiles replied, blinking as she shrugged.

“Oh. Ok then.” Malia looked at them. “Well, Kira and Scott are worth more than me, so they’ll definitely come for you guys first. I’ll be ok for a while.”

Scott half smirked as she went past him, using her claws to open the secret door.

 

They followed Scott and Kira inside, Liam walking beside Stiles, glancing around to see if there was anything threatening nearby. He had picked up on the change in the air when Malia had asked what they were hiding from her, the way Stiles’ pulse had quickened, the tightness of his grip. The werewolf didn’t care though, it seemed that he was back in Stiles’ favor. Stiles gestured to a support column at the other end of the vault and they sat down. Liam pulled off his jacket, spreading it on the cold concrete floor. He sat close to Stiles, their arms touching. Part of him wanted to rest his head on the teenager’s shoulder, but he didn’t want to appear weak in front of Scott and Malia. _Stiles mightn’t notice it, but I do. Scott’s not happy that I’m more loyal to my boyfriend than to my Alpha. That I’d risk fighting him to protect Stiles…_

Stiles glanced at Liam, whispering, “Are you feeling ok?”

“Yeah, I think so.” He swallowed hard. “A bit hot, sweating, but-What is it?”

“Uh, your eyes are shifting.” Stiles bit his lip. “That’s how it starts.” _Starts…_ He repeated the word silently, looking around the vault, the large safe catching his gaze. “It all started here, right here.” Stiles spoke aloud, nodding at the lock-box. “A hundred and seventeen million in bearer bonds, just sitting in that safe, gathering dust.”

Liam watched Kira warily, the Kitsune studying the vault before her gaze returned to his boyfriend. The werewolf felt his claws emerge, his mouth suddenly crowded by fangs. He swallowed hard, touching his hand against Stiles’, feeling his powers become more controlled, the fangs disappeared, but the claws remained.

“You know that bearer bonds are virtually impossible to find nowadays.” Stiles explained as Kira nodded. “I looked it up, and they were removed from circulation in the eighties. I mean, they didn’t even cash them out and exchange them with money.”

“How would you do that anyway?”

“A bank, I guess. I mean, they’re still worth their value,” Stiles continued on. “They’re just not issued anymore. But, like, all that money was just left to sit there by the Hales. It could solve a lot of problems.” 

"For you?" Kira asked, tone almost accusing.

“Grr!” Liam growled, his eyes staying yellow as he tried to stand. 

“No, no, no.” Stiles grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. 

“Grr.” The werewolf glared at her, slowly sitting down. His eyes flicked to Scott as his Alpha snarled back at him.

“Liam, control yourself!”

“I am in control.” He muttered through clenched teeth.

“Yeah.” Stiles shook his head slowly. He moistened his lips, and carried on talking to Kira as though nothing had happened. “The money could solve problems, I mean, me and my Dad; I know the Eichen House and MRI bills are crushing him. He still has his job, but with all this assassination crap, I’m worried.”

Scott nodded, understanding him. He massaged his arm nervously before replying. "Mom does this thing, she writes down all the items in her budget; how much they cost." The Alpha took a breath, staring at the floor. "And then she adds it all up, and figures out how long until...we lose the house."

“Fuck.” Liam muttered, squeezing Stiles’ hand tighter. “I didn’t know.”

“It’s ok.” The teenager sighed, picking at a loose thread in his sweater.

 

Stiles wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling a bit better than before, the weakness gone from his limbs. But as he looked around the vault, he could see the others were worsening; Liam was slumped against him, eyes closed as if he was sleeping, Scott’s jaw was clenched tight, obviously in discomfort. Stiles glanced over to where Kira was kneeling beside Malia, the were-coyote shivering and sweating uncontrollably. He frowned, getting up slowly, lying Liam down on his jacket. The Beta mumbled something, but otherwise didn’t protest as Stiles left.

Scott joined him by the entrance, frowning. “What is it?” His voice was dry, lips cracked and bleeding.

Stiles frowned. “Your healing isn’t working.”

“I think it’s got bigger things to worry about than chapped lips.” The Alpha tried to smile, wincing instead. “Anyway, what is it?”

“Do you hear anything out there?”

“Um…Yeah, they’re looking for us, more students are ill, mmh, that’s about it.” Scott glanced at him. “Why?”

“I’m thinking that someone should go out there.” Stiles whispered, keeping his voice low so only Scott could hear him. “We don’t know what’s going on, or how this happened, or if there’s a cure. I know we’re safe here, but, c’mon, Scott, we’re cut off from any information.”

“This was your idea.”

“I know.” Stiles hesitated, glancing back to see Liam pull his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. His gaze flicked over to Malia, and then back at Scott. “About before…”

“We have to tell her.”

“No.” He shook his head. “The truth is not going to help her now. Besides, in what universe do you want to learn that you’re related to Peter Hale?”

“That’s her fa-”

“Ah!” Stiles interrupted him loudly, before hissing. “Scott, I know her, she’ll go and confront him, and I’m betting that’s exactly what he wants.”

“Why?” Scott’s brows pulled together, confused.

“Well, why else would he still be around Beacon Hills? It’s not like anyone actually likes him, or wants him here, so he has to have a reason.” Stiles gestured at him, “And that has to do with Malia, he’ll influence her, use it as his chance to wriggle his way back into a position of power. Because that is what he does, it’s what he always does.”

“I don’t know, Stiles.” He shrugged. “She kinda has a right to know.”

“He’s the bad guy, Scott, if he wins, we lose.”

“Yeah,” Scott muttered and swallowed hard, raising his hand slowly to show Stiles. There was black goo emerging from his nailbeds. “We’re already losing.”

“Fuck.” Stiles turned around, seeing Malia staring at her hands, the same as Scott’s. He ran over to Liam, kneeling beside him. “Liam? Liam!”

“Huh?” His boyfriend groaned, rolling over, hands crammed into his pockets. “I’m fine.”

“Like hell. Show me your hands.”

“No.” He shook his head, resisting Stiles grimly as the teenager pulled his hands out. 

“Fuck.” Stiles groaned again. He looked at Liam’s yellow eyes. “You know I shouldn’t be able to even do that, right? You’re, like, ten times stronger than me.”

“What’s happening? It’s bad, isn’t it?”

“Um,” The teenager licked his lips quickly, pulse spiking upwards. “No point lying to you, yeah, it’s bad. Hey, it’s gonna be ok.” Stiles assured him, hearing Liam whimper. He turned to his friends. “It will be ok. Because I’m gonna find out how this happened, if this is part of the deadpool, or if the CDC have something. We’re gonna get outta this!”

“What?” Liam managed to sit upright, staring at him. “You can’t do that, what if there really is an assassin?”

“I have to.” Stiles replied. “You guys are getting sicker, and your powers are way too erratic to be around other students or those CDC guys.” He grunted as Liam grabbed his arm, some strength still in the werewolf’s grip. “Liam, I’ll be ok.”

“No.” He muttered, “I should-” Liam broke off, coughing and retching as more black goo came out of his mouth. “Please…stay.”

Stiles frowned, and sat down next to him, hugging Liam close. “Ok, I’ll wait a bit.” _But not long, I need to find answers._ He shrugged at Scott, the Alpha dropping to the floor heavily, his gaze unfocused.

 

Stiles looked down at Liam, the werewolf curled up into a semi-circle against him, facing inwards, his skin hot against his touch. He felt Scott’s eyes on him, and nodded. _It’s time._ Stiles shook Liam’s shoulder, “Hey, I have to go now.”

“Don’t.” He mumbled, “I’m tired.”

“I know, but I have to.” Stiles winced as he saw the dark stains around the werewolf’s mouth and nostrils, hearing the strain in his voice. “I won’t be long.”

"Where are you going?"

The teenager frowned. _Memory loss? What the hell is this thing?_ “I told you, I’m going to find out. Whatever's happening, it's worse for you guys, I'm thinking that there's an assassin here, that it's a trap, it was all a trap."

Liam struggled to get to his feet, "I wanna go with you."

"You can't, you're too sick. What if the CDC guys see you and grab you?" Stiles shook his head, pushing his boyfriend back down. "I'll be back soon, ok?"

Liam held his hand until Stiles pulled away, heading towards the door. He slid back to the floor, avoiding the others' eyes. Not that it mattered much, Scott and Kira were talking quietly to each other, as Malia was curled up like him, her wheezing audible. The werewolf watched Stiles pull on the lever, eyes un-focusing, turning his boyfriend into a fuzzy collection of colors and shapes. _Come back, Stiles._

Stiles paused outside the Vault, looking back at him, whispering softly. “This is not the last time I see you, Liam. This isn’t goodbye.”


	26. The Cure

Stiles made his way quickly through the halls of the school, his first thoughts to check in on Mr Yukimura. _If Liam got infected so quickly, maybe he’s in the quarantine zone._ He squeezed his way past two CDC scientists, muttering about the results of their latest tests, but the teenager didn’t stop to listen, instead skidding to a halt when he saw Mrs Martin standing in the center of a classroom, chewing her nails distractedly. “Hey!” Stiles called out to her quickly. 

“Stiles? Oh my god, you look terrible. You should lie down.”

“No, no, I’m fine.” He dismissed her concerns, wiping away the sweat pouring down his face. “Have you seen Mr Yukimura?”

“Yeah, he’s fine, he’s helping some of the other students.” She replied, staring at him. “You really should-”

“Uh huh.” He nodded, and turned to leave, the rest of her words being ignored. Looking to one side, he spotted Coach Finstock in a quarantine tent, and looked back at her. "Is Coach the only adult who got sick today?"

"As far as I know."

“Huh.” Stiles frowned, feeling the pieces click together in his mind. _And he was meant to be supervising the test today too. Is he patient zero?_ He blinked, clearing his eyes, a shiver running across his skin before it was replaced with an itchy heat. _Ignore it, you gotta figure this out; save Liam and Scott and the others._

“Stiles?” Mrs Martin reached out to him, but he pulled away quickly.

“Err, yeah, I’ll, uh, I’ll be back later.”

 

Liam rolled onto his back, staring up at the darkness of the vault’s ceiling. He frowned, remembering how the grey plaster was cracked with a spider’s web of lines across it. The werewolf flipped onto his side, noticing Kira was watching him. “What?” He spat at her. She raised her hands and averted her gaze.

Scott noticed and walked over to him. “Hey, Liam.” He was trying for friendly, but it came out sharper than he had intended. The Beta glared at him.

“What do you want?”

“I know this is stressful and it’s ok to be scared,” Scott reached out to put his hand on Liam’s shoulder, just like he had seen Stiles do, whenever his best friend calmed the werewolf. “But try not to take it out on us, eh?”

Liam pulled away from him, sitting up and pushing his back against the pillar. “Whatever.”

Scott sighed and moved away, stopping as Malia started to wave her hands in front of her face. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t see!”

Liam watched as the Alpha staggered away from him, brows pulled together as he noticed Scott was winding his way across the otherwise straight floor. “Scott?”

“Shit, my eyes…” He bumped into a shelf, his hands held out, trying to feel his way around.

Liam groaned, realising that it would happen to him too. _C’mon, Stiles, hurry up!_

 

Stiles searched frantically through Coach’s office, pulling open draws and flinging stacks of paper and folders into the air, looking for a clue, any clue at all. He grunted and moved over to the desk, rifling through the contents of the drawers, momentarily pausing as he found Coach’s stash of confiscated item. _Hello…Later, Stiles!_ “There’s nothing here.” He muttered aloud, throwing himself into Coach’s office chair, swivelling slightly towards the desk itself. Stiles frowned, noticing the consent forms for the lacrosse team, and idly flicked through them, his curiosity winning out against the voice in his mind that told him to hurry up. The teenager slowed, noticing the red stamp turning to black. _Coach must have run out, so, he used the black one, big deal._ Stiles glanced at the desk again, noticing the coffee cup, smudged black prints on it. He picked it up slowly, another image flashing into his mind; that of the PSAT moderator thumb printing every paper himself. “Wait, the ink? Really?”

"I was wondering how that idiot got sick."

Stiles leapt up at the voice, the mug falling from his hands and shattered on the ground. _The assassin, crap!_

"I'm also wondering where your friends are."

His eyes were drawn to the man's hands, one of which was holding a black gun, the other screwing something on the end. _Nine milimeter Glock, suppressed. Silent and deadly._ His brain dragged the information out from somewhere as Stiles swallowed nervously. “Err…”

The assassin continued to talk, looking at him and then at his gun. "Because in order to be paid by the Benefactor, I need to have proof that they're dead."

"Visual confirmation." Stiles muttered, pulsing rocketing as the assassin pointed the gun at him, a slight waver in his hand. _Poisoner, probably not used to getting his hands dirty. His grip isn’t steady. Still doesn't mean I can take him though..._ “Where are you when I need you, Liam?” He muttered to himself, as the man smirked at him.

 

Liam blinked his eyes furiously, trying to make the fuzzy shapes in front of him resolve into his hands. If he tried to look further, everything was dark, impossible to see, and it was getting worse all the time. He could hear Malia’s voice shaking as she called out to the others, her teeth clattering together as she spoke. 

“Guys…I,I,I think…ugh.”

The werewolf struggled to get to his feet, strength failing, but Liam used the pillar to pull himself upright. _Something’s wrong. Something’s wrong with Stiles. I know it. I need to get to him._ He moved forward, his hands out in front of him, trying to smell anything or anyone in front of him, but his nostrils were burning, black goo dripping down from his nose. The werewolf stopped, his head moving from side to side, trying to remember where the door was, he felt utterly confused and turned around. _C’mon, you gotta find it! He’s in danger!_ Liam moved forward again, but his feet tripped over something and he fell heavily onto his stomach, pain exploding across his face. He groaned and tried to stand again, but his strength was gone, all he could do was crawl forward until his hair touched the rough concrete of the wall. But whether it was the door, or another part of the vault, he wasn’t sure. Liam whimpered softly, helpless as he heard Stiles whisper his name a floor above him.

 

“Move!” 

Stiles felt the barrel of the gun prod him in the back and he walked forwards until he was standing in the middle of the locker room. “What do you want?”

“I told you, I want to know where your friends went. Otherwise this would have all been for nothing.” The assassin considered him for a moment. "You still look feverish, Mr Stilinski. But you should know something; the virus doesn't kill humans. You'll get better, so don't you think you should tell me where they are?"

Stiles stood still, breathing deeply, feeling the lethal presence of the gun behind him. _Yeah, like I’m actually gonna tell you that._ “I don’t-”

"Shouldn't one of you get to live?" The man's tone was almost pitying.

“Sure, uh,” Stiles nodded slightly, voice gravelly. "I think I saw them in the library. Or it might have been the cafeteria. It was definitely one of those two."

"I'm going to count to three." The man’s tone made it clear that he wasn’t buying it. "And then I'm going to kill you."

Stiles wetted his lips and turned around, looking his would-be killer in the eyes. "Do you think you can scare me?"

"No, I think I can kill you. I just thought the countdown would make it more _exciting_." He put the gun to Stiles' forehead, cool metal on damp skin. "So… One."

Stiles felt his breaths come in shaky gasps, he was losing control and clenched his hands into fists. This was it, there was no one here to save him, Liam and Scott were out of reach. Hopelessness washed over him and his heart hammered fast. _But maybe someone else can save them, if I give them a little more time._

"Two." The man said more deliberately, glaring at him.

Stiles refused to close his eyes, even as tears pricked them. His t-shirt clung to his back, palms itching like crazy. He shut his eyes at the last minute, seeing the man's lips begin to take shape of the word. _Liam_ The Freshman's smiling face came to mind as Stiles waited for the gunshot. It came louder than he expected, he flinched as a fine wet mist drenched his face. Stiles opened his eyes as the assassin collapsed to the ground, gun falling away. Spitting the blood from his mouth, gagging, he looked up to see Scott's father in a CDC suit, gun outstretched. "Where the hell did you come from?"

“Melissa called me,” The FBI agent said, moving in to clear the body. “Gave me a message I didn’t understand. Just that the antidote is in the vault, and you need to make it.”

“Ok, what is it?” Stiles tried to remain calm as his heart pounded rapidly in his chest. _Shit, shit, shit! What the fuck was that? What the literal fuck was that? I’m alive! How the hell am I alive?_

“Something called Reishi Mushrooms. It’s in a jar on one of the shelves.” He tried to catch Stiles’ attention, seeing his eyes becoming unfocused. “Hey, I know what just happened is a lot to take on, but she said time is running out. Stiles? Hey!”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.” He nodded furiously and sprinted out of the locker room, dodging the remaining CDC officers and taking the stairs to the basement three at a time, crashing down the last set as he lost his balance. Stiles sprung up, ignoring the pain in his knee, and ran down the hallway towards the vault’s secret entrance. 

 

“Open the door! Come on! Scott! Liam! Anyone?!” Stiles roared out, hammering his fists against the hidden door, kicking it fruitlessly. “Fuck!” He backed off, surprised as the door rumbled open slowly, seeing Scott slumped by the lever, the Alpha having used the last of his strength to pull it. Stiles rushed in, balking as he saw how bad they had become; sweating and feverish, black goo staining their mouths and faces. Malia was near Kira, their breathing loud and ragged, while Liam was lying on his front nearby, motionless. “Liam?”

“Stiles?” His voice was weak, and the werewolf tried to move but cried out in pain instead. “Agh!”

“Hang on! I know what to do.” Stiles gestured at him to stay still and ran into the vault, searching the shelves. “I need a jar of mushrooms, they’re here somewhere. I think…” He picked up a jar; lightweight, but the shrivelled contents looked like they could be mushrooms. “I think this might be it.” Stiles glanced over at Scott, seeing the Alpha’s eyes on him, blood red in the gloom of the vault.

“Yeah. It’s them.” He said thickly. “They glow.”

“Right.” Stiles tried in vain to open the top of the jar, before giving up and smashing it on the ground. He knelt down, picked up a handful of the mushrooms amid the shards of glass and ran over to Scott. “Open your mouth!” He pushed them inside as the Alpha gagged. “Chew! Swallow!” Stiles watched him for a moment, before rushing away, grabbing two more handfuls for Malia and Kira, making sure they swallowed the cure too. He looked at his boyfriend and hurried towards him.

Liam felt himself being turned over and something dry and soft being forced against his lips. _Smells awful. But that’s…Stiles!_

“Eat it!” Stiles commanded him, sighing in relief as the Freshman obediently opened his mouth and started chewing. The teenager blinked back the tears that gathered in his eyes and he hugged Liam closer to him.

“Stiles…” Liam muttered, swallowing hard, his head resting on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Tastes terrible.”

He laughed with relief, glancing around him as Malia, Kira, and Scott sat upright, smiling at him. “Yeah, I bet.”


	27. A Little Slice of Normal

Stiles felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Scott smiling at him. “You’re ok?”

“We all are, thanks to you.” The Alpha helped him and Liam stand up, as Kira and Malia gathered around him. “Thanks, Stiles.”

“Yeah, no problem.” He grinned back at them. “How about we get outta here?” Liam was looking at him strangely, almost fearfully, and Stiles realised he was still covered in blood from the assassin. “Hey, Liam, it’s ok, it’s not mine.”

“What happened?”

“Err, yeah, the, uh, the PSAT admin was the assassin, dosed everyone with the ink pad and I guess I must have transferred it to you earlier.” Stiles sighed, they were all staring at him now. “He had me at gunpoint. He wanted to know where you guys were, you know, visual confirmation. But I wouldn’t tell him, so he put a gun to my head.”

“What?” Liam growled, his eyes turning yellow. “Where is he?”

“Take it easy, Liam.” Scott waved his hand at him, but the Beta ignored him.

“I’ll rip ‘em apart!”

“Woah, ok.” Stiles grabbed his arm and tilted Liam’s head up, their eyes connecting. “Stop.”

The werewolf was breathing heavily, but his claws disappeared and his eyes returned to their normal shade. “I’m fine.” Liam muttered, ignoring their gazes, feeling Scott’s lingering on him a little too long. “What happened?”

“Well, err, your Dad showed up, Scott.” Stiles carried on after a momentary pause. “Shot the assassin in the head, point blank range, which is why his blood is all over my face. Anyway, Melissa called him and told him to tell me to get the mushrooms.”

“Wow. Close.”

“Yeah.” He looked around as Liam leaned into his side, the Freshman ashamed about his outburst. “Now, can we leave?”

 

Stiles grunted as his father pulled him into a tight hug. “Uh, Dad?”

“Damn it, Stiles. Are you alright?” He released his son and looked him over. “Don’t worry, Agent McCall explained about the blood, the shooting, everything. You’ll have to give a statement, but that can wait, I bet you want to go home, have a shower?”

“Err, yeah. We both could do with one.” Stiles gestured at Liam, seeing his father’s expression turn dark. “What?”

“I thought I told you to stay outside.”

“Yeah, but Stiles-”

“Do you have any idea of how serious that breach of containment could have been if it was an actual bio-weapon?” The Sheriff yelled at him, furious. 

“Sorry.” Liam hung his head. “No one was telling us what was going on. I thought Stiles was in danger, I had to do something!”

“…” 

Stiles raised a brow as the Sheriff hesitated, seeing the way his mouth was opening to say something before closing it again. “Dad? I know what he did was reckless, but, cut him a break. Please.”

The Sheriff sighed, rolling his eyes. “Fine, just, let’s go. Both of you.” He shepherded them out of the school and into the police cruiser. “Liam, in the front. Stiles, you get in the back.”

“Um, ok.” Stiles shared Liam’s worried look, but didn’t say anything further as his Dad began to talk again. _Reckless, dangerous, werewolf, blah, blah, wait, did he say something about love?_ The teenager looked at Liam’s face, seeing his cheeks heat, and watched him sink lower into the seat. Stiles smirked and settled back. _Well, I guess he would have to love me if he risked his life going into a building full of some unknown super-disease…Yeah! Liam Dunbar, werewolf and lacrosse superstar, loves me!_

 

Stiles twisted the knob, turning off the water as heat and steam rose off his body. He looked at his hands, satisfied that they were no longer covered in blood. The teenager wiped the mirror clear and nodded, his face clean, even if he could still taste the cloying copper of the assassin’s blood in his mouth. Wrapping a towel around himself, Stiles unlocked the door and darted across the hallway to his room. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Liam looked up from where he was lying on the bed. The Freshman’s eyes darted to the lump at the front of Stiles’ towel, swallowing hard. “Err…”

“Shower’s free.” Stiles walked over to his closet, smirking as he felt Liam’s gaze on him. “You know, if you want it?”

“Um, yeah, I guess so.” He stood up, his breathing hitched, already straining in his boxers as Stiles let the back of the towel slip, revealing his smooth, firm ass cheeks. “I’ll, uh, I’ll do that.” Liam moved to go out, colliding heavily with the door frame, his attention elsewhere. “Oof!”

Stiles grinned to himself, but when he looked back, the werewolf had gone. He shrugged and pulled on underwear and comfortable clothes, the heat from the water making his eyes droop. It all seemed so normal here, in his bedroom, detached from the madness out there. The teenager ambled over to his bed, drying his hair. He sat down where Liam had been lying, touching the warm fabric. 

It was about twenty minutes later when Liam returned to the bedroom, the Freshman dressed the same as Stiles had been; just a towel wrapped around his waist. Stiles drank him in, eyes locking onto the beads of water as they dripped down his tanned skin. Liam stood just out of reach, knowing smile playing about his lips. “Uh…”

He grinned and moved closer, kissing Stiles lightly on the lips, surprised at first when his boyfriend opened his mouth and invited Liam’s tongue inside. The werewolf felt his body respond, but before he could get lost in the sensations, he heard the sound of the Sheriff coming up the stairs. Liam broke off as Stiles grunted. “Your Dad.”

“Fuck.”

“I’m gonna get changed.”

“Right.” He watched him go towards his closet; the werewolf had left some of his clothes there from last time, although Stiles smiled when he saw Liam grab one of his pullovers from the shelf. “Isn’t that a bit big for you?”

“Hey!” The Freshman scowled at him. “It’s soft and warm, and, uh, smells like you.” He muttered the final words, flushing as Stiles grinned at him. “Shut up.”

The teenager raised his hands, looking towards the doorway as his father leaned against the doorjamb. “Dad?”

“Just checking in.” The Sheriff nodded at him. “You’re alright?”

“Yeah, really tired though. It’s weird.”

“Because you’re normally so buzzed following a near death experience?”

“Haha,” Stiles chuckled and then looked at Liam’s back. “I guess it’s just different this time.”

“Right. Well, uh, I’ve taken the afternoon off.”

“Dad, you don’t have to do that.” Stiles protested, but the Sheriff shook his head.

“I want to be here, just in case. And we’ll, um, we’ll arrange for you to give your statement on the shooting, tomorrow or Monday, probably.” He cleared his throat, glancing at Liam, now dressed, as he sat beside Stiles on the bed. “I’m glad you boys are ok.”

“Yeah.” Stiles nodded, watching his Dad leave. He waited a moment and then turned to Liam, reaching for him. “Now, where were we?”

“Um, hang on, Stiles.” The werewolf shook his head, glancing at the open door. “I don’t really think it’s a good idea to mess around with your father downstairs.”

“Fine.” He grunted.

“Why don’t we watch something, instead?”

“I guess.” Stiles reached for his MacBook as Liam got up to look through the stack of DVDs on his desk. _Well, he’ll be close to me, at least I get to hold him…_ He brightened up at the thought and set the laptop down on the bed. “I’m gonna go get some snacks. Choose whatever you want.”

“Ok.” Liam flipped through them for another few minutes until he paused on _Captain America_. “Um, ok? I suppose it doesn’t matter, Stiles said he was tired.” He grabbed the DVD and went over to the laptop, his pulse spiking as he looked at Stiles’ desktop, his eyes immediately drawn to the folder labelled _Porn_. Liam moistened his lips and looked towards the door, hearing the low voices of Stiles speaking with the Sheriff. The werewolf shrugged to himself and tapped on the folder, watching the images pop up, scrolling down through the seemingly unending cascade of male flesh. It was mostly slim, athletic, guys, not really naked or anything, but Liam felt his cock harden and he quickly looked at one of the videos, muting the sound. “Woah.” _Smooth, muscular, hot…_ He closed the video, looking again at the images, his eyes lingering on a smiling guy with big muscles flexing for the camera. Liam pulled up the long sleeves of Stiles’ pullover until his arm was showing and flexed his own bicep, grinning. _Hah! Oh shit…_ He heard Stiles start back upstairs and exited out of the folder, pulling his sleeves down quickly.

“Hey.” Stiles dropped the chips and chocolate into a pile at Liam’s feet, placing two cans of soda on the bedside table. “You find something?”

“Uh, yeah, uh huh.” Liam nodded and showed him the DVD. “Ok?”

“Yeah.” Stiles got onto the bed behind him, feeling Liam relax into him, his arms around his waist, hands resting on the Freshman’s chest. He kissed the side of Liam’s neck, licking at the soft, warm skin at his jaw. Liam squirmed and then giggled.

“Stop it! Please, Stiles, stop.”

“Ok, ok.” The teenager smirked as Liam glanced back at him. “Guess we’re watching the movie.”

 

The final credit scene played and Liam closed the lid of the MacBook, looking behind him at Stiles’ sleeping body. His arms were still wrapped loosely around him and Liam turned around, face to face with him. The Freshman snuggled closer, his boyfriend’s legs parting easily to allow them to rub against each other. But the werewolf was equally relaxed and warm, his hands touching Stiles’ arms, head resting on the pillow, nose pressing against the smooth skin of Stiles’ chest, between his collarbones. Liam could smell the same strong, heady, slightly spicy scent that was Stiles, but it was more concentrated than ever and he moaned under his breath, burrowing closer to him until all he could smell was the safety and security of his boyfriend, his anchor, lulling him to sleep.

 

Time passed and it was dark when Stiles woke up, early evening judging from the blueish tint to the night sky outside his window. He blinked slowly, looking down as Liam shifted in his sleep, the werewolf lying next to him. Stiles brushed his fingers softly across Liam’s face, “So cute, so perfect.”

“Mmmh,” Liam grumbled, stretching and rolling onto his back, resting his head on Stiles’ shoulder. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Stiles replied gently. “Did I wake you?”

“No.” He shook his head, looking up at his boyfriend. “What time is it?”

“Around seven, I think. We didn’t sleep too long.”

“Mmh, doesn’t matter, I think I want to wait here forever.” Liam grinned, pulling Stiles’ arm towards him, hand in his hand. He was about to say more when his brows furrowed, the scent of another coming towards them. “Malia’s here.”

“What?” Stiles sat up as Liam reluctantly let him go. “Oh, she’s probably here for her notes. I borrowed them last night for study. Well, I say _her_ notes, more like our notes, but uh…”

Liam wasn’t paying attention to him as Stiles rambled on about the PSAT exam, instead he stared moodily at the ceiling. _Why couldn’t she wait until Monday? Or tomorrow? Or anytime that I’m not here…grr._ He didn’t even look at her when the were-coyote arrived.

“It’s here somewhere…” Stiles scratched his head, moving piles of paper and evidence from the deadpool around the desk. “Err, I think I might have been reading it before bed last night.” He looked towards his boyfriend. “Hey, Liam, could you, uh, could you lift the bed for me, please?”

The werewolf sprang up as Stiles came back over to him and grinned. “Yeah, no problem.” He flexed slightly and then lifted the bed on its side with ease, smirking as Stiles looked admiringly at him.

“Thanks.” The teenager ducked under it and moved towards the back. “Ah! Found them! Must have slid down last night.” Stiles grabbed the pages and pulled back, looking towards the desk. But she was gone. “Malia? Malia?” He glanced at Liam. “Did you hear her go?”

“No.” Liam looked around confusedly as he lowered the bed to the floor. “Are you sure those are the right notes, maybe she got-”

“No.” Stiles broke in, picking up a single sheet of paper sitting on the desk. It had fallen from the evidence stack. “Shit.”

“What is it?”

“The last part of the deadpool.” He replied, glancing at his boyfriend as the werewolf stood beside him. “The part that lists her as Malia Hale, the part that means Peter is her father.”

“Fuck.” Liam whispered. “Him? That’s the guy who bit Scott, right? Remember, you told me?”

“Yeah, that’s him.” Stiles said bitterly. “We didn’t want to tell her the truth, but we didn’t want her to find out like this either. Fuck it.” He sighed and gestured towards the evidence board, “Bring that out, will you? Thanks.” Stiles reached for a piece of tape and added it to the other parts of the deadpool. “Guess the vacation is over.” He felt Liam slip his hand into his and squeezed. 

“I’ll be here with you, Stiles, whatever comes.”


	28. Scott's Plan

Stiles turned over in his bed, restless as the day’s events weighed on his mind. After Malia had discovered the truth about who her father was, he and Liam had spent the evening talking about the assassins and the deadpool, until the Sheriff had called in and said it was time for Liam to go home. Stiles had protested, of course, seeing the disappointed expression on his boyfriend’s face. But he knew the look his Dad gave him and agreed reluctantly to drive the werewolf home. 

It wasn’t until he returned nearly an hour later, that the Sheriff pulled him aside and told him that he needed to remember that Liam was still just a Freshman, that he wasn’t even sixteen yet. Stiles had been indignant, protesting that his father was over-reacting, that despite what he and Scott, and apparently everyone else thought, he was not going to be doing anything that Liam didn’t want him to do. Stiles smiled to himself at the memory of the argument, the way his father had stared at him, the triumphant smirk on his own face. _Won that one. Well, he walked away, same difference._ He turned over again, onto his side, his thoughts drifting uncontrollably back to the deadpool, and the seemingly unending parade of assassins coming for them, for Liam. _Sure, he’s a bit down the list, but still worth three million dollars. They’ll take him out if they get a chance. Shit. He always tries to protect me, but what happens when he can’t protect himself? Like what happened with the Orphans. How am I meant to help him?_ Stiles grunted and rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling, hugging his pillow with one arm, a poor substitute for his boyfriend.

His phone buzzed suddenly, too loud on the wooden surface. “Shit!” Stiles hissed, reaching for it, fumbling in the darkness until he finally grabbed it without looking. “Liam?”

“Err, no, Stiles. Sorry.”

“Oh, Scott. Nah, it’s ok.” Stiles rubbed his eyes, propping himself up on one elbow. “What is it?”

"I have a plan!" Scott said excitedly.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Stiles groaned.

"No. Why?"

"Ugh, what's the plan?"

"So, we know that the Benefactor needs to see that someone's dead before paying the assassins, right?"

"Err, yeah?"

"So, what happens if they can't get confirmation, but the assassin claims that the target is dead?"

"The Benefactor might come to make sure." Stiles nodded slowly. "Ok, I think I see where you’re going with this. But we’ll need someone to play dead. Someone high value.”

“Yeah, I know.” Scott hesitated for a moment before continuing. “I’m gonna do it, I’m number one on the list. If the Benefactor wants me dead so bad, they’ll have to come to make sure.”

“Hmm, I’m not sure, Scott. How are you gonna pull it off?” Stiles rubbed his face, “It’ll need to be convincing.”

“I have an idea, I need to talk to Kira about it first.” The werewolf sounded confident. “Will you get Liam and meet us at my house tomorrow morning?”

“Yeah, will do.”

 

They gathered around the waist-high table in Scott’s kitchen, their laptops in front of them. Scott had just explained the general idea of the plan to Liam and Kira. The younger werewolf fidgeted and glanced at Stiles nervously. His boyfriend smiled back, a reassuring tingle to his scent that caused Liam’s pulse to return to normal. 

"Is three enough?" Kira said, looking at Scott.

"Depends on how many cameras they have, but I think so." Stiles nodded, “We can always split-screen anyway, but we just want the ones covering the morgue, the corridors outside, maybe the front entrance.” 

"Are we really doing this?" Liam looked at them, his eyes flicking between Scott and Stiles, a nervous tremor returning to his voice. 

"We're doing it." Scott replied determinedly. "Tonight."

"But isn't it kinda dangerous?"

"Yep, it's incredibly dangerous, and borderline idiotic." Stiles answered for Scott.

"Have you guys done something like this before?"

"Something dangerous? Or something idiotic?" His boyfriend flashed a grin and Liam frowned.

"I think it's a yes to both." Kira said.

The Freshman sighed under his breath, looking at Stiles. “I don’t like this.”

"I know, that's why we'll be together the whole time, ok?" He gripped Liam's shoulder tight and the werewolf looked into his calm eyes for a moment before nodding. 

"Ok."

"And, you don't have to be a part of it, if you don't want to." Scott offered. “We can manage with just-” 

"I'm not scared." Liam shook his head.

"Well, then you're borderline idiotic!" He held Liam’s gaze for a moment, before turning back to Scott. “So, Kira’s gonna stop your heart?”

“Well, not all the way, enough to fool the EKG machine.” Kira answered. “And then I restart it again. We won’t have much time.”

“About a forty-five-minute window.” Scott added. “That’s why I’ve asked Argent to pose as the assassin, and provide backup. He’ll be in the hospital with you three when the Benefactor shows up. Ok?”

“I wouldn’t call it ok, but fine.” Stiles sighed. “A lot of things could go wrong.”

“Yeah, but we have to do something, Stiles. They keep on coming, and right now, we don’t have a better plan.” The Alpha smiled at them. “It’s gonna work. I’ll be alright.”

 

Stiles pulled his keys out of his pocket, nodding at Kira’s Mom as she walked past him, he looked up as Liam stood in his way. “What? I’m going to meet up with Chris Argent, so we can be ready when Scott’s ‘dead.’” The werewolf didn’t say anything, just crossed his arms and glared at him. “What is it, Liam?”

“I thought you said we weren’t going to be separated?”

“This is just for a bit.” Stiles shrugged. “It’s a time-sensitive operation.”

“So, why don’t we go after the…after Kira does her…whatever.” He averted his eyes as Stiles looked at him, scowling at the floor.

“You’re scared.” The teenager moved closer, lowering his voice. “You don’t want Scott to know?”

“I don’t want anyone to know!” The werewolf cried. “But what happens if Scott doesn’t wake up? Or if the Benefactor comes and knows it’s a trap? Or if Kira can’t-” 

Stiles interrupted him by closing the distance and kissing him hard. He pulled back, and looked into Liam’s eyes, hands resting on his shoulders, thumbs brushing his neck. “Listen, it’s gonna be ok, we have a good plan, we have you and Kira and Chris Argent, and me, of course. But we got this, Liam. You asked if we’ve done stuff like this before, and yeah, we have. That’s why I’m so calm. You can sense that, right?” He took his boyfriend’s hand and placed it over his heart. Liam’s eyes narrowed and then he nodded. “See?”

“Yeah, I can hear it.” He sighed. “His Mom is gonna freak out though.”

“Oh, yeah,” Stiles laughed. “I’m glad he told her instead of leaving it to me!” He looked at the stairs as Noshiko came to the landing. “It’s time?”

“It is.” She nodded and returned to Scott’s room.

“C’mon.” Stiles held out his hand and Liam took it, following him upstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short update, expect more next week!


	29. Tension

Liam paced in increasingly tight circles in front of Scott’s bed. He kept looking over to the older werewolf, but Scott seemed relaxed, his shirt open, offering Liam a confident grin. The Freshman glanced across the room when he heard Stiles clear his throat irritably. “What?”

“Can you just stay still?” Stiles glared at him, “You’ll throw Kira off.”

“It’s ok.” The Kitsune looked at them, pausing as she saw his expression. “Well, maybe staying still is better.”

Liam grunted under his breath and folded his arms instead. He turned his attention back to Scott, shaking his head slowly. “Are you guys totally sure about this?”

“It’s a good plan.” Stiles replied, defensively. “Don’t worry.”

“Good plan?” His boyfriend echoed, “We’re killing Scott!”

“Not exactly.” Scott looked between them, “It’s gonna be alright, guys.”

“So,” Liam turned to Noshiko, “You’ve done this before, right? You’re, like, an expert, or something?”

"I’ve seen it done." She replied carefully.

“Great.” Stiles muttered. 

Liam darted another glance at him, hearing his boyfriend’s pulse quicken. He looked back at Kira’s mom. "Is that just as good?"

"No."

"Mom, you're not inspiring confidence!" Kira glared across Scott’s bed at her. 

"Good, this is a terrible idea!"

"Do you want us to do it without you?"

Noshiko sighed and shook her head. “Very well. Are you ready?”

Scott nodded and rested back against his pillow.

Liam glanced at Stiles and edged closer to him as Kira and Noshiko went over the technique again. He wetted his lips, reaching out to touch his boyfriend’s hand. The werewolf could feel the pounding of Stiles’ blood under his skin. “You ok?”

“Fine.” Stiles stared straight ahead, clenching his jaw as Kira reached her hand over Scott’s chest. He winced as electricity arced across the Alpha’s skin for a moment longer than he would have liked. Scott’s body shook and then went still. They stared at him and then at each other. Noshiko reached down, checking the werewolf’s heart-beat. She nodded at him and Stiles reached into his pocket, weighing his phone in one hand. “I’ll call nine-one-one, then?”

 

“He really does look dead.” Liam whispered into Stiles’ ear as the Junior inclined his head towards him. The werewolf glanced at Scott’s body lying on the shelf in the morgue, his skin deathly pale, features dulled, his chest unmoving. Liam fidgeted with the zipper on his jacket, looking back at Stiles. “Are you sure he’s…”

“He’s alive, heart beating a few seconds every minute. It’s just enough for an Alpha.” Stiles reassured him, squeezing his hand. “It’s like he’s in a very deep sleep.”

“Ok.” Liam pulled back, standing closer to him as Melissa approached, her eyes red. His hand curled into a fist as she glared at Stiles, furious. The werewolf could feel the prick of his claws against the soft flesh of his palms. He swallowed hard, trying to resist the urge to lash out when Melissa spoke, her tone appearing harsh to him.

“I still hate this plan.”

“I’m not exactly in love with it, either.” The teenager replied, nudging Liam carefully. The Freshman released his fist and Stiles nodded. “It was his idea, so let’s make it count.”

“How long do we have?” 

“Forty-five minutes,” Kira answered. “And then I bring him back the same way.”

“What happens after forty-five minutes?” Melissa asked, frowning at the group as they all avoided her eyes. “What?”

“No one told her?” Noshiko said sternly. The Kitsune looked at Scott’s Mom. “If we wait any longer after that, he will die.”

“Ok.” Melissa replied, sighing heavily. “Well, let’s do this.”

Stiles nodded and made to leave. “I’ll meet up with Chris Argent; he’s nearby.” He looked at Kira and Liam, handing her his laptop. “You two go set up, we need to have those cameras available to us as soon as possible.”

“What? No.” Liam grabbed his arm, frowning. “I’m going with you.”

“Liam.” Stiles glared at him. “We don’t have time to argue about this again. I need you to-”

“You’re right, there’s no time to argue. So, let’s go.” He replied, stubbornly. The werewolf held his ground as his boyfriend huffed and muttered darkly under his breath.

“Fine, let’s go.” Stiles said through gritted teeth, turning to Kira. “Can you handle the setup?”

“Yeah, no problem. The Benefactor won’t know he has to come until the message is sent anyway.”

 

Stiles pushed open the door of the container, striding past crates and pallets. He was still irritated that Liam had refused to wait with Kira, and could feel the werewolf watching him. _If ever there was a time to have werewolf powers…_ Stiles sighed, glancing behind him. “Wait here, over by those boxes.”

Liam looked moodily at him, but nodded and leaned against them, hands in his pockets. “Yes, Stiles.”

The teenager flicked his eyes towards Chris Argent, the hunter waiting beside an open laptop. “We’re on.”

“Good.” Argent glanced past him at Liam. “Everything alright?”

“Fine.” Stiles muttered. “He’s just clingy.” He ignored the growl from behind him, and nodded at the laptop. “Well?”

“I’ll send the message now.” The hunter typed a quick message and stood back. "Done."

"Wait, that's your assassin-speak?" Stiles frowned at the screen. “‘Scott McCall dead. Payment requested.’”

Liam sniggered, but when Stiles looked his way, he stopped, remembering he was meant to be angry with him. _Clingy? Protective, more like! You nearly got shot Stiles, yesterday! And here we are, going up against the Benefactor, without knowing who or what they are. Hmm…_

"I said he's dead." Argent looked at Stiles. "What more do you want?"

"Well, it's a little dry!" He gestured. "You could've said something like 'Target has been neutralized!' you know? ‘The big dog is down!’” Stiles lowered his voice as he spread his hands stealthily. “'The crow flies at midnight!' That's always cool."

"Uh huh."

He sighed and turned to check on Liam, but found the werewolf was still ignoring him. The teenager felt bad about what he had said immediately, knowing it had come out harsher than he meant it. He moistened his lips, about to speak to Liam when the laptop beeped, and Stiles turned back, rushing forward to type a reply. He found himself fixed by the hunter’s cold stare and lifted his hands away from the keys. “Err, all yours.”

“No, it’s fine.” Argent glanced at the screen. "Type this: Visual confirmation isn't possible. Police coming to claim body in 40 minutes."

"Visual Confirmation is required for payment." Stiles read out the reply. “I’m not sure he’s going to go for this.”

"Tell him: Number one on the list is dead, I killed him, and if the wire transfer isn't complete in 40 minutes..." Argent muscled Stiles out of the way, "I'm coming after you." He finished typing with a flourish, looking up to find himself confronted by two glowing yellow eyes. “Uh.”

“Liam,” Stiles said warningly, reaching a hand out to touch the werewolf’s shoulder. “It’s alright.”

“He pushed you!”

“Yeah, and that was just in the heat of the moment.”

“Grr.” Liam growled under his breath, blinking as he felt Stiles grip the back of his jacket, pulling him away. He didn’t resist, but kept staring at Argent, watching the hunter’s hands as they rested on the machine gun beside him.

“C’mon.” Stiles walked backwards, dragging Liam with him. He looked over his boyfriend’s head at Argent. “I’ll see you at the hospital.”

“Right.”

 

Stiles pushed Liam against the nearby chain-link fence, glaring at him. “What the hell was that?”

“I’m protecting you!” The werewolf protested.

“I don’t need protection from Argent,” Stiles shook his head, furious. “Or Melissa, for that matter. I thought you had this under control?”

“I do, when I’m with you,” Liam nodded. He paused for a moment, and then explained as Stiles gestured at him. “It’s something Scott said; he told me that you’re my anchor, the one who makes it easier for me to control my abilities on the full moon, as well as all the time. He said I had to protect that.”

Stiles stared at him. _Well, thanks for that, Scott._ “Right.”

“I just…” He shrugged. “It’s like with the IED; I don’t know how to react properly, I guess. It’s either everything or nothing, and when anything happens to threaten you, I go full-wolf.”

“Yeah, no, I saw that.” Stiles glanced at his phone. “We have thirty-five minutes, we need to stay on track. But you gotta promise me something first.” He poked Liam in the chest sternly.

“Anything.”

“Save your anger for the bad guys, and the ones who really want to hurt me, us, the pack, I mean.” The teenager smiled at him as Liam pouted. “Although, it feels pretty good to know you’ll always have my back, even if that means breaking CDC containment lines, or going ‘full-wolf’ on hunters.” 

“Ok.” Liam grinned back.

“But, uh, for future reference, please don’t do that again, Argent looked like he was gonna shoot you.” Stiles pulled him into a quick hug, feeling Liam’s nose brush against the crook of his neck, the werewolf breathing in his scent. He smirked and relaxed in the strong grip for a moment longer, before stepping away from him, gesturing towards the hospital. “We better go.”


	30. Set in Motion

Stiles pointed at the door, pulling out his phone as Liam entered the unused hospital room. “Argent? Yeah, everything’s fine. No, just wait a minute.” He paused, walking around the bed, casting his eyes over the three laptops. Liam stood next to him, chewing his nails nervously. Stiles glanced at Kira and nodded. “Ok, Argent, we’re all set up down here.” He covered the phone with his hand. “He’s installing the wire-tap now. Uh, yeah, I can hear you. Ok. I’ll try.” Stiles hit the return key and looked at the screens as they flickered into life, each one spilt in four, showing different angles and approaches. “We got it. Um, twelve cameras at our fingertips. Yeah, see you.” Stiles ended the call, smirking at them. “Now, we wait.”

“Cool.” Liam nodded, impressed.

 

They watched the monitors, Liam noticing how Stiles' eyes keep flicking across all three. He gnawed his thumbnail nervously and said, "How long do we have left?"

"Twenty-eight minutes." Stiles replied, looking at the timer on his phone. "And still nothing."

Liam nodded and moved over, looking at his screen, as Stiles rested his chin on his fist. The werewolf could hear his boyfriend's blood pounding through his body, Stiles' unease only increasing his own. He swallowed hard, looking down to see his claws emerge unbidden. Liam went to clench his hands into fists, wanting to hide his lack of control from Stiles and Kira. But then he felt Stiles squeeze his shoulder and glanced at him. “Err.”

“It’s ok.” Stiles whispered, arm around him, pulling the werewolf closer. “You got this.”

“Yeah.” Liam blinked, feeling his claws retract. “I’m just-” 

“Nervous.” Stiles broke in, nodding. “I know the feeling. Catching the Benefactor would be great, but..."

"But what?" Kira looked at him.

"This was an insane plan. We never should have let him do this."

"It'll be alright. I'll bring him back once the time limit is up."

"Yeah." Stiles mumbled. _Providing that even works._

"Hey!" Liam whispered, pointing at one of the squares, the camera flickering and going dark. "Is that supposed to look like that?"

Stiles frowned, watching as the image pulsed and then faded into static. “It’s not getting a signal. Might just be a wire failure or something, but, uh, well, the rest are intact.”

"Where is that?" Kira asked.

"It's, uh, it's the roof, someone is gonna have to go check it out." Stiles replied, brows pulled together.

"I'll go." Kira turned to leave.

"Woah, woah." He stopped her, waving his hands. "It might not just be a malfunction. This could be how the Benefactor is getting in, or it could be a distraction, meant to lure us away.”

"That's why I'm bringing this." She revealed a katana from under her coat. “I’ll be fine.”

"Uh, yeah." Stiles didn’t sound convinced, hesitating before glancing at Liam. 

“I should go with her.” The werewolf said, understanding. “Right?”

“Yeah.” He sighed and then grabbed Liam’s arm as Kira waited outside. “Hey! You be careful, ok?”

“I will.”

“And you’re coming back here, ok?”

“Of course.” Liam smiled at him, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Fine, go.” He dismissed them with a wave. “Go on.”

Liam paused, darting back to kiss him on the lips, muttering, “Luck…”

“Right.” Stiles laughed and turned back to monitoring the remaining cameras.

 

Liam and Kira burst out the door onto the roof, ready for anything. The werewolf sagged when he saw that the roof was deserted. Kira smirked at him. “Eager for trouble?”

“No, I just thought I smelt something weird.” He shook his head, glancing around as they walked to the center of the roof. “Must have been-” His words were lost as a transformer in front of them exploded in a shower of sparks and blinding light. Liam threw up an arm to protect his eyes and shield his face. After the sparks faded, they moved closer, inspecting the blown transformer. “What do you think?”

“It looks like someone did something to it.” Kira replied. “Sabotage. Stiles was right; it’s a distraction. A lure.”

“Luring us to what?” Liam frowned, feeling his stomach clench hard, instincts telling him to turn around. They both looked behind them as heavy footsteps came towards them. “Kira?”

“Oh, no.” The Kitsune whispered, hearing the all-too-familiar clatter of bones. She unsheathed her sword and entered a fighting stance. “Berserker.”

Liam stared at the brutish figure approaching them, his attention drawn to the muscular arms ending in thick, sharp claws, bones covering the monster’s entire body. He swallowed hard but crouched into a defensive posture, “I’m ready.”

“No, you’re not.” Kira muttered, “Even with Scott, we barely had a chance.”

The werewolf ignored her words, concentrating on listening, his senses tuning higher until he could hear Stiles’ heart-beat amongst the other noises; faint, but still there. Liam closed his eyes, feeling his claws extend and fangs fill his mouth. When he opened his eyes again, yellow orbs burned in the darkness. “We need to stop it, can’t let the Berserker get into the hospital!”

 

Stiles looked up as the lights in the hallway outside flickered and then died. He sighed as the emergency lighting kicked in. “Here we go again.” The teenager muttered, glancing back at the laptops seeing all the screens flicker to static. Stiles grunted and shut the lids, tension growing in his stomach. “Still not back, where the hell are you guys?” He left the room, turning rapidly in the hallway, not noticing as he brushed past Argent. Stiles made to apologise, instead finding himself staring into the barrel of a large gun. “Ah!” The teenager gagged and flailed wildly, before Argent put the gun away. “What the hell? You can’t just go waving that around! And that’s twice this weekend! Can I please get a break?” 

“Focus, Stiles.” The hunter grasped his shoulder firmly.

“Right, right, uh, power's out in the whole building. Took out all the cameras."

"Stay with Scott." Argent ordered him. "Text me if you see or hear anything." He paused, checking the time. "We have eighteen minutes."

Stiles nodded and ran down the stairs quickly, moving into the morgue without meeting anyone else. He shivered in a mix of nervous tension and the sudden cool of the mortuary. Stiles glanced around, before walking over to Scott's drawer, and placed his hand against the metal. "Hold on, buddy."

 

Liam roared a challenge at the Berserker, seeing it refocus its attention on him. The werewolf snarled, dipping into the well of almost bottomless rage, always so close at hand, bubbling just beneath the surface. He felt an extra charge rush through his body and ran towards the Berserker, meeting the monster halfway, attacking with furious swings, hitting air for the first two. The third connected with the Berserker’s strong arm, his claws scraping harmlessly off the bone gauntlets. Liam gasped as a large hand gripped his throat hard, lifting him effortlessly and throwing him backwards into the transformer cage. The werewolf collapsed onto the concrete, breath knocked from his body. He groaned, tasting blood in his mouth, his cheek and forehead ablaze with pain. Liam could just about see Kira moving in for her attack, the sword glancing off the Berserker’s bone armor, sparks showering around her. His vision swam and the werewolf coughed, blinking as he realised something more important was wrong. “I can’t hear him.” Liam muttered, “What the hell is happening down there? I need to get to him.”

He groaned and struggled to get up on his hands and knees, claws scrabbling for purchase on the concrete roof. Liam raised his head in time to see Kira being punched viciously and thrown down onto the ground. The werewolf stood, shaking his head to clear the blurred vision, and ran over to her. He tried to pull her to her feet as the Berserker marched slowly towards them. "Kira! Kira! Kira, get up!" Liam grunted, looking between her and the door to the stairwell. “C’mon, we gotta get back down there!” _Or, you could just leave her there, and go save Stiles?_ He paused as the treacherous thought flashed across his mind. “Crap.”


	31. Bust

“C’mon, c’mon, where are you?” Stiles muttered as he paced back and forth in front of the drawer Scott was lying in. He looked at the door every few moments, his eyes darting towards the nearby bone saw. It was the only thing in the room that looked anything like a weapon. Stiles moistened his dry lips, pausing as the lights flickered overhead. “Oh, no, c’mon, please get back here.” The teenager dug out his phone, hesitating over Liam’s number, before scrolling back up to Argent. “It’s ringing, great, yeah, answer, come on, answer, answer Argent!”

The door burst open suddenly, forcing Stiles backwards as the hunter came flying through it, landing on his side with a grunt. He looked at Stiles, fear in his eyes. "Gah! Run, Stiles, run! Get outta here!"

“What the hell?” Stiles muttered, grabbing the bone saw, holding it out in front of him defensively. His eyes narrowed when Kate Argent walked through the door, the ever-present smirk on her face a little wider. _Well, shit._ Stiles backed away from her slowly, until he felt the cold metal of Scott’s drawer press against his skin. He glanced to his side as Chris Argent got to his feet, wincing.

"Get out of the way, Stiles!" Kate demanded. "I'm taking the body!"

"The hell you are!"

She snarled at him, "I need that body!"

Stiles stared at her. _She's the Benefactor, really?_ "Why? Visual confirmation?"

Kate seemed to weigh him up, and then moved slowly forwards. "Don't worry, handsome. I'm not the Benefactor."

"Then what do you want with the body?" Argent demanded.

"I wish I could tell you." 

“Yeah,” The hunter moved quickly, pulling out his spare gun and jamming it under Kate's chin. “That’s not gonna happen.”

"I always forget you carry two."

"Back off!" Argent demanded.

"Are you sure you can pull that trigger fast enough?"

_Liam, where the hell are you?_ Stiles looked at the ceiling, a cold chill spreading down his spine. _If Kate’s here, then so are her Berserkers. And we were barely able to fight them off the first time…_ He looked over Argent’s shoulder at Kate, seeing the hunter’s gun lower a fraction.

"I don't want to kill you."

"You're not going to kill me." Kate replied, smirking.

"And I'm not going to let you take his body!"

"So," Stiles looked between them. "You guys obviously have a lot to talk about, so, maybe I'll just..." He tried to slink by, but Kate glared at him, eyes turning bright green for a second. "Or maybe I'll stay right here. Here's good..." _He’s a strong werewolf, he just needs to hold on, and Kira’s with him…the only person who can revive Scott. I let them go, fucking hell Stiles, did I just send them all to their deaths?_

"Listen, Kate," Argent tried to reason with his sister, "We have a plan."

"And if killing Scott was part of it, you're worse than me."

“He’s not dead. It’s…well, it’s complicated and we don’t really have time to explain it.” The hunter nodded to the door. “Please, leave.”

“Convenient.” She shook her head. “I’m not-”

“For fuck’s sake Kate, will you just leave?!” Stiles exploded, moving forward recklessly and waving the bone saw under her nose. “Leave and take your Berserkers with you! Pretty sure your presence here has scared off the Benefactor if they were ever going to appear anyway.” He glared at her, seeing the were-jaguar taken aback. Stiles continued on while he still had the courage. “That was you on the roof, wasn’t it? I sent my friends up there to investigate, you better not-”

“Fine, fine.” Kate threw up her hands, cutting him off. “Teenage angst!” She glanced at her brother sharply. “We’ll settle this another time.”

 

Liam hesitated, looking at the door as he considered his options, his desire to be with Stiles beginning to overpower what he knew was the right thing to do. _Leave her and let’s go to Stiles, he needs me!_ The werewolf started towards the access door, but stopped when another thought crossed his mind. _Would Stiles want you to do that? And, Scott needs Kira to be revived. Stiles would never forgive me if I let her get hurt and we lost Scott._ He lowered his head and nodded to himself. “Yeah.”

“Liam!” Kira shouted at him, using her sword to stand slowly. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing.” The Freshman muttered, looking back at the Berserker approaching them. “Just fighting.”

The Kitsune nodded and then started frowning as she looked between him and the door. “Were you about to leave me?”

Liam didn’t answer, instead he charged towards the Berserker, ducking the first swing, and smashing his fist into the monster’s breastplate. He grunted as a wave of pain washed over his knuckles. “Argh!” The werewolf looked up slowly at the Berserker, almost sensing the punch before it arrived. A wall of agony collided with him, the Berserker’s backhand ripping deep gashes along his cheek and nose. Liam cried out as he was thrown backwards, flipping over and crashing into the rough concrete. His ears were ringing, vision blurred again, but he could just about hear Kira valiantly attack the Berserker, blocking the monster’s blows with her sword.

He rolled over onto his side, grunting as his entire face felt on fire. Liam spat out a mouthful of blood, and pushed himself back to his feet, swaying slightly. Kira had backed up until she was boxed in by the Berserker against one of the supports for the water tower.

"Liam, run! Get outta here!" Kira yelled at him. “Go back to Stiles! Warn him about Kate!”

“No.” He grunted. _Not yet, at least._ The werewolf clenched his fists, feeling his claws dig into the soft flesh, blood welling up through his fingers. Liam felt the strength rush through his body, shoving down all the fear and pain inside and replacing it with the white-hot anger that he suppressed the rest of the time. He ran quickly towards the transformer cage opposite the Berserker, climbing up the side of the chain-link fence and using the extra height and momentum to launch himself at the Berserker, a ferocious roar ripping from his throat. _Fight smarter, not harder!_ Liam clasped his hands together into a club, the crushing blow connecting with the Berserker’s bear-skull helmet. He landed on the ground and rolled away safely, springing up to ready himself for another attack. The Berserker staggered, as though dazed, Liam gestured at Kira. “C’mon, let’s get out of here!”

 

They ran through the darkened halls of the hospital, Liam leading the way as he picked up his boyfriend’s scent. “This way! He moved from the room, looks like he’s heading towards the morgue.”

“Good.” Kira panted, trying to keep up and sheath her sword at the same time. “We’re nearly out of time!”

Liam nodded, jumping down the final steps and shouldering the mortuary door open. He skidded to a halt, ducking to one side as Stiles lashed out with a saw. “Ah!”

“Shit!” Stiles corrected the swing, burying the tool in the door. “Fuck! Liam, couldn’t you have warned me?”

“Sorry.” The werewolf panted, glancing at him. “Were you expecting someone else?”

“Kate.” His boyfriend muttered. “Argent is making sure she’s gone, but I heard screams from above, I think she left one of her Berserkers behind.” Stiles frowned, reaching out to touch his face gently. “Were they on the roof?”

“One of them, fought him off.” 

“Good, that’s-” Stiles stopped talking as their phones started beeping. “Zero hour.” He looked at Kira. “Do it.”

“But we don’t know who the Benefactor is.” She followed Stiles over to the drawer as he and Liam pulled Scott into the open. “It didn’t work.”

“Just revive him.” The teenager barked sharply. “We can worry about the consequences later.” He rubbed a hand across his face when Kira glared at him. “Sorry. Just, go on.”

The Kitsune nodded and extended her hand over Scott’s chest, electricity crackling between them. Kira stood back, looking at him. “Done.”

“Ok.”

Liam frowned, glancing between them. “He’s not moving.”

“Give it a minute.” Stiles replied, resting his hand on Scott’s shoulder, the skin feeling cold under his fingers. “Just wait for it …”

Scott was still for several minutes as Stiles glared at his body, and Liam milled around, unsure if he should say something. Kira was about to try again when the Alpha came back to life with a huge gasp. “Ah!”

“Scott!”

“Ah, oh, ok, I’m ok.” He slumped back on the metal shelf, breathing hard. Scott glanced at Stiles. “Did it work?”

“No.” He shook his head. “Though it did give us even more questions.”

“Some answers, though, right?” The werewolf smiled as Kira fussed around him. “I know that look, you’ve got a theory!”

“Theory might be a bit of a stretch.” Stiles patted his shoulder, gesturing for Liam to follow him. “Recover your strength, I’ll let you know when I have something.”

“What is it?” Liam asked him, stiffening as Stiles hugged him unexpectedly. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Stiles muttered into his shoulder. “Just glad to have you back, safe, and mostly ok. Are you ready to leave?”

“Err, yeah.” He frowned as his boyfriend squeezed him once more and then pulled away, slipping his hand into Liam’s. _He smells…scared._

 

Stiles stood in front of the evidence board, feeling all the pieces slotting slowly together, except for the final few. The key ones that evaded his tired mind. “I’m missing something, more than just the identity of the Benefactor.” He shook his head. “It’s right there in front of me, I can touch the edges, but…how did Kate know we had Scott’s body? Why didn’t the Benefactor show up, or send an agent, if Scott is important enough to pay twenty-five million to kill? It’s not-”

“Stiles?” Liam interrupted him mid-flow, waiting until his boyfriend turned around to face him.

“What?”

“You gonna give it a rest?” He smirked as Stiles glared at him. “Maybe you’ll think better if you sleep on it?”

“Hmm, maybe,” Stiles conceded, dropping his pen and crawling onto the bed beside Liam. He glanced at the Freshman. “You know, my Dad is working all night on what happened at the hospital, he won’t be home until the morning. You can stay over if you want.”

“Really?” Liam smirked, “I guess it’s a good thing I told my parents that I was sleeping over at Mason’s, since the school is being swept for more bioweapons by CDC tomorrow and all.”

“As you do.” Stiles muttered darkly. He stopped, curious. “Wait, what does Mason know?”

“Well, he knows about us. I thought you wouldn’t mind.”

“I don’t.” The teenager looked at him. “I meant, what does he know about you being a werewolf?”

“Um,” Liam squirmed uncomfortably, sliding down the bed so he could rest his head on the soft flannel of Stiles’ chest without having to meet his gaze. “He doesn’t know anything.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah, but he’s not like you were with Scott.” Liam pressed on. “You wanted there to be some mystery, right? That’s what you said. Mason, he just wants to go to school and, I don’t know, get a hot boyfriend, I suppose.”

“Priorities!” Stiles joked, stifling a yawn. “Are you here to sleep or…?”

Liam propped himself up on one elbow, smirking at him. The werewolf pulled his shirt off, revealing a tight-fitting vest, smelling Stiles’ sudden arousal and hearing his pulse spike. “Yeah, I’m here to sleep, eventually!”


	32. The Fear of Dreams

Stiles rested his hands behind his head, watching Liam clean up the mess that had shot across his chest and stomach after their make-out session had finished abruptly. _Although, what were you expecting? He’s a horny teenager who’d probably jizz his pants if he brushed up against the desk._ He smirked to himself, glancing up as Liam grinned at him. “What?”

“Nothing.” The werewolf flushed, suddenly embarrassed. “I was just thinking…you look, uh.” His eyes ran across his boyfriend’s shirtless body, feeling his own react again. “Hot. Really hot.”

“You’re pretty perfect yourself, Liam.” Stiles gestured for him to return, patting the bed beside him. “Come on back, I’ve been sleeping a lot better since you’ve been with me, here, I mean.”

“Ok.” Liam nodded, reaching for his vest, but stopped when Stiles’ pulse spiked again. “I guess I don’t need this.”

“Nope.” The older teenager grinned, struggling under the covers, “Keep your pants on though, don’t want to tempt fate.”

“Yeah, I don’t know how you controlled yourself so well.” The werewolf muttered, climbing in beside him. Stiles rolled onto his side, back facing Liam, and he scooted closer, slipping his arms around Stiles’ chest, resting on his smooth abs and strong pectoral muscles. The werewolf moaned contentedly as Stiles ran his hands gently across his arms. “Mmh, that’s nice.”

“Good.” Stiles grinned, leaning back further into Liam’s strong body, feeling his boyfriend’s lips touching against his neck.

“Your scent is heavenly.” Liam mumbled to himself, fireworks exploding behind his half-closed eyes. They began to drift off to sleep, the werewolf content as Stiles relaxed in his arms. 

 

Stiles wasn’t sure what woke him up, but it was only beginning to get bright outside, still another hour or so until they had to get up for school. _Oh, that’s right, we don’t have to…_ He frowned at the ceiling, lying on his back, having moved during the night. Liam was still beside him, but as Stiles turned over to look at him, the werewolf whimpered, something was wrong. The teenager watched him for a moment, seeing the rapid twitching of his eyes under the lids as Liam dreamt. _Hmm. Maybe it’s a good dream?_ Stiles wetted his lips and raised the covers to check on him, but his frown deepened when he saw no sign of any excitement in Liam’s pants. The werewolf mumbled something in his sleep, his body beginning to squirm, forehead glistening as sweat formed. “Oh crap. Hey Liam?” Stiles shook his shoulder, gently at first and then harder until his boyfriend woke suddenly, blinking furiously in the dim morning light. 

“Huh? I…”

“You ok, Liam?”

“Um, yeah.” He looked at Stiles, the teenager’s jaw clenched tight. Liam frowned sleepily, trying to push down the memories of his nightmare, still so fresh in his mind. “Why?”

“Cos your claws are digging into my arm.” Stiles muttered, pain causing tears to spring from his eyes. Liam released him immediately, and he gasped. “Ah, wow, strong grip.”

“I’m sorry, Stiles!” Liam blurted at him, examining his forearm. “Did I hurt you a lot?”

“No, no, it’s fine.” He flexed his fingers, ignoring the pain when the werewolf looked like he was about to cry. “Hey, it’s ok, c’mere.” Stiles held out his hands and Liam rocked forward into his embrace, sniffling. “It’s alright, Liam, it’s ok to have a bad dream.”

“Mmmh.” He wrapped his arms tighter around Stiles, burying his face in his neck, nose pressing against his boyfriend’s warm skin, the comforting scent making his heart beat slower, the fearsome images of the Berserkers ripping into Stiles as he stood helpless soon faded from his thoughts. Liam groaned when he felt Stiles pull away, “No, don’t…”

“C’mon, pup, I gotta take a shower, we’ll cuddle afterwards.” Stiles glanced at him, seeing Liam frown. “What?”

“Don’t call me pup, I’m not a puppy.” He muttered under his breath, expression sullen. “I’m a wolf!”

“Well, how about cub, then?”

“No.”

“Baby?”

“No.”

“Bunny?”

“No!” The werewolf scowled at him.

“Aw, come on, Liam, there has to be some pet name I can call you.” Stiles grinned, “Look, it’ll just be between us, no one else will ever hear it.”

“No one? Not Scott? Or Mason?”

“No one.” The teenager shook his head, as Liam sighed. “I promise.”

“Fine. I guess…pup is ok.”

“Awesome.” Stiles kissed him hard on the lips. “Shower will be yours in about twenty minutes, pup!”

Liam groaned as the teenager left the room. “I’m gonna regret this, aren’t I?”

 

Stiles smiled at Scott as the Alpha approached him at school the following day. “Hey, dude, feels almost normal in here.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“You ok? I know the plan didn’t really work out.” Stiles shrugged apologetically. “We’ll find another way.”

“I suppose.” Scott played with a stray thread in his jacket. “Kira’s Mom got hurt in the attack; Berserker got to her, Kira went with her to the hospital.”

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry.”

“How the hell did Kate Argent know I was even going to be there?” Scott asked him angrily, backing off when he saw Stiles shrug. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

“It’s fine. You risked your life and we only succeeded in getting someone else hurt.” He grabbed his books from the locker and stuffed them into his bag. “Are we heading to study period now, or…?”

“Can I talk to you?” Scott swallowed hard, staring at him intently. “I don’t know who else might understand, you…and your dreams, with the…Nogitsune.”

“Huh.” Stiles nodded slowly, uncomfortable. He gestured at the exit. “We’ll talk in my Jeep, ok?”

“Thanks.” Scott followed him out, passing the open door of Liam’s class, seeing the Beta’s eyes narrow as they left the school. “Derek said he’s never heard of a werewolf who gets so protective over one person, especially someone human.” The Alpha said suddenly.

“Uh, ok?” Stiles glanced back at him, brows raised. “Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?”

“No, it’s just…” Scott hesitated, continuing as Stiles gestured at him. “I sometimes feel that Liam likes you more than me.”

“Duh, we’re boyfriends.”

“Yeah, but, you can control him in ways I can’t, he responds to you, but not to his Alpha.”

“Huh.” Stiles reached his Jeep, shrugging. “Maybe because you’ve never used the red eyes on him, you know, the slightly murderous look you sometimes get that makes _everything_ back down?”

“Err, yeah. That’s not really something I want to start doing.” Scott shook his head, climbing in beside his best friend. “So, when I was out, _dead_ , I had these visions, or maybe dreams is a more accurate description. They were about him; Liam, I mean.”

“You were dreaming about my boyfriend?” Stiles smirked at him. “You realize you were naked under that sheet, right?”

“Stiles, it was weird.” Scott looked at him, paler than normal. “I mean, yeah, it was Liam, and he had his lacrosse gear on and kept throwing lacrosse balls at me, but-”

“Well, I think the meaning of that is pretty clear!”

“He was encouraging me to embrace my animal side, the monster, the killer within.” Scott continued, not hearing him. “He wanted me to murder all of the assassins before they got to us.” The Alpha glanced at Stiles, “And I want, wanted, to.”

“Ok, um,” Stiles scratched the side of his face, “You’re not going to that though, you're never going to kill anyone, Scott, that’s not in your nature. Both your human and werewolf nature."

“Maybe.” Scott muttered. “There was a third dream.”

Stiles rested his hands on the steering wheel and glanced at his best friend. "Hey, dude, I don’t know what your subconscious is trying to tell you, but my pu-,” He stopped himself as Scott frowned. “My perfect boyfriend is not encouraging you to be a monster or a killer Alpha. It kinda says a lot about what you think of him, though."

"Huh?"

"He's the one in your dreams wanting you to kill the assassins."

"Yeah, but then the Mute showed me how to kill him, and I liked it." Scott admitted, voice small. “I liked having his blood on my hands, my face, seeing the fear in his eyes. I killed my own Beta, Stiles!”

"Yeah, but Scott, you didn't. He's fine." Stiles reassured him, one hand gripping Scott’s shoulder. He laughed suddenly, "Dude, I would be in so much trouble for half the shit I get up to in my dreams if they ever turned out to be real!"

"What-" Scott started to say, and then stopped, shaking his head, smirking a little. "You know what, I don't need to know."

"Especially my ones with Liam." Stiles smirked at him suggestively.

"Oh my god!"


	33. Hard Truths

Stiles rested against the hood of his Jeep, tapping his feet impatiently as he waited for Liam. _Come on, pup, lacrosse practice ended twenty minutes ago, I like you smelling fresh, but I don’t need you squeaky clean._ He grinned at that, imagining squeezing his boyfriend and hearing him squeak. _Until he gives you that death stare that he’s so good at._ Stiles’ brain reminded him and he shrugged, glancing to one side as Lydia approached him. “Hey.”

“Hi.” She hesitated, fingers twirling her in the loose strands of her hair. “So, um, while you guys were at the hospital, I figured something out. I think my grandmother knew something about the Benefactor.”

“Huh?” Stiles frowned, “But isn’t your grandmother dead?”

“Yeah.” Lydia nodded at him, “She left me a message, a coded message, just like the others.”

“Have you broken it?”

“No, not yet.”

“Hmm.” The teenager’s eyes narrowed. “We should tell my Dad, maybe he can dig something up on your grandmother. I mean, how would she even know about the deadpool now? Hey! Maybe she’s still alive!”

“Err, I don’t-” Lydia started, but Stiles interrupted her, gesturing his excitement. 

“No, no, wait, it totally fits. Kira said that you found one of the ciphers in that room in the lake house, and we know Meredith was there too.” He nodded furiously. We should talk to my Dad.”

“Ok.”

“Oh, but,” Stiles hesitated, looking towards the school. “Um…”

“What?”

“Well, it’s just, I said I’d wait for Liam to come out, we were gonna…” He trailed off as Lydia stared at him. “I guess this is more important?”

“Yeah, Stiles.” She shook her head and walked around to the passenger side. “Hurry up!”

“Ok, ok, let me just text him.” Stiles pulled out his phone and tapped quickly. _Hey, pup, Lydia has a possible lead on the Benefactor. Going to talk to my Dad, see you later?_ He hopped into the Jeep, dropping his phone into the cup holder between him and Lydia. Stiles had just backed out of the space and was about to exit the parking lot when the reply came through. He reached for his phone, but Lydia snapped it up.

“I’ll read it out to you, keep going.”

“What? No!” Stiles braked hard and lunged across the car to grab it from her hands. “Err, I mean, he could, he was just having a shower, so, he could, um.” His ears were burning red as Lydia stared him down. “Err, yeah.”

“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes, and Stiles breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Thanks.” He tapped the message, frowning. _Stiles! I don’t mind it when we’re alone, but I’ve told you before not to call me that when someone else might hear. Mason’s here, so I’m gonna hang out with him until you’re done._ Stiles grinned and replied quickly. _Catch ya later, pup!_ Stiles started driving again, avoiding Lydia’s questioning stare. “False alarm, nothing, um, naughty.” He flushed hard as she glanced at him open-mouthed.

“How old is he again, Stiles?”

“Um, fifteen.”

“Right.”

“Hey! He’s really hot, and you wouldn’t think-”

“Forget I ever asked,” Lydia interrupted him hurriedly. “I’ll catch you up on what I know so far, instead.”

“Sure.” Stiles smirked at her. _I got a super-hot boyfriend and you don’t!_ His brain supplied, before rebuking itself. _Well, that was a bit mean, Stiles._ He frowned, trying to concentrate on what Lydia was telling him. “Uh, right.”

 

 _Catch ya later, pup!_ Liam read the message and growled under his breath. 

“You ready yet?”

“Yeah, it just seems kinda dumb that I had a shower five minutes ago and now I’m working out with you.” He grabbed his towel, stuffing his phone into his pocket, and followed his best friend towards the weights room.

“Uh huh.” Mason looked back at him. “You’d rather spend time with Stiles, then?”

“He’s my boyfriend.”

The teenager sighed, muttering longingly, “I wish I had a boyfriend.”

“Yeah,” Liam smirked at him, “It’s pretty great.”

“Is that why you’ve been blowing me off lately? To spend time with him?”

“Err, I don’t mean to.” He frowned, “But, I guess I have been, huh?”

“Yeah.” Mason nodded. “I mean, I get it, and I’m glad at least one of us has a boyfriend, but still, dude, I miss us hanging out.”

“Sorry,” Liam hung his head. _I wish I could tell you everything, but I don’t know how, Stiles only found out about Scott because he’s so good at finding that stuff and Scott sucked at keeping secrets, that’s what he says anyway._

“Dude?” Mason punched him lightly on the shoulder, and Liam blinked, moving his eyes from the point they had been staring at for the past minute. “So, you wanna start with dumbbells, or the barbell?”

“Uh,” The werewolf moistened his lips. “Yeah, bar-uh, dumbbells.”

“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?”

“Uh huh.” Liam nodded quietly after a brief glance at his best friend, seeing him grin. “What?”

“Why don’t you take a selfie after you work out, send it to him?” Mason smirked suggestively.

“Err, why?”

“Because, I’m pretty sure he’d want to see those guns of yours all pumped up!” The teenager’s enthusiasm wilted slightly under Liam’s suspicious glare and he added, “Uh, and maybe then you could butter Stiles up and see if he has any other hot single guy friends for me to, you know, date?”

“You want me ask him to set you up with a Junior?” Liam asked.

“Or Senior, or Sophomore,” Mason shrugged. “I’m not picky.”

“Yeah, clearly.”

“Aw come on, dude!”

“Are you going to the Lacrosse Bonfire?” Liam asked in a bid to change the subject.

“Yeah, you and Stiles are going together, right?”

“Um, probably.” He swallowed, lifting the weights with ease when his best friend arched a brow at him. “Yeah, we’ll go together.”

“So, you know,” Mason put down his weights and leaned in. “A really good friend would find me someone on the lacrosse team to date-even just for one night.”

“Um, err, well, I don’t know any other gay or bi guys on the team.”

“Soccer then? Wrestling? C’mon, Liam, I just want to meet someone hot!”

“Well,” Liam thought hard, “What about that cute guy who’s a benchwarmer, C, Core, Corey?”

“Oh, him.” Mason sighed, shaking his head. “He already has a boyfriend. He’s in my English class. Cute though.”

“Huh,” Liam put down the weights, grimacing as they had felt like air in his hands. He turned to Mason, “You want me to spot you?”

 

“I think she’s alive.”

“Maybe,” Lydia amended, glaring pointedly at him.

“Definitely!” Stiles nodded furiously as his Dad looked between them and sighed.

“Ok, you better tell me everything you know.”

“Great,” Stiles began, hearing the door to the Sheriff’s station crash open. _Probably some drunk._ “So, Lydia found this…err.” He trailed off, jaw slackening as he watched the very burnt, very muscled, very naked Deputy Parrish walk slowly past the window. 

“Stiles?” The Sheriff asked him, brow raised. He frowned when he saw a similar expression pass across Lydia’s face. “What is going on?”

“Err, uh, Parrish…” Stiles managed, blinking as the Deputy walked over to his partner, shoving him roughly against the wall. “Fuck!”

“Stiles!” The Sheriff glared at him, before turning around as a gunshot echoed around the station. “Get down!”

Stiles pushed Lydia down onto the floor, and hunkered down, watching his father pull his gun out. The Sheriff waddled slowly forward, opening the door to look out, firearm at the ready. Stiles stayed hidden behind the wall, waiting for his chance to see what was happening. He could hear the struggle and grunting of the two men, and then another bark from the gun. 

“Ah!” The Sheriff fell backwards, groaning in pain as blood welled up between his fingers. “It’s fine. Shoulder wound.” He grunted as Stiles rushed to his side, blood spilling down his arm. “Ah, damn it.”

“Just stay still, and put pressure on it.”

“I know, Stiles, I taught you that!” The Sheriff growled, gesturing at the phone. “Call an ambulance.”

“Yeah, yeah, ok.” Stiles stood up hurriedly as Lydia ventured out towards Parrish. “Hey, no, Lydia, wait!”

“It’s ok, I’m ok.” She shooed him away with a gesture and reached out to Parrish.

Stiles swore under his breath, but his voice was calm as he called out the details to Melissa. “Yeah, it’s a shoulder wound, the, uh, well, we can’t call dispatches from here right now, we’re having a bit of an…incident. Ok, great.” He crouched beside his Dad again as Lydia came back to him. “Ambulance is on its way, five minutes, tops.”

“Ok.” The Sheriff gritted his teeth. “Where’s Parrish?”

“He’s putting Deputy Haigh into the cells.” Lydia explained. “I’ve texted Scott, I think someone is going to have to explain all this to Parrish when he recovers.”

“Yeah,” Stiles said bitterly, “Tell him what he did to-”

“Stiles, stop.” His father reached out with his uninjured hand. “He doesn’t know what he was doing, we can’t hold him accountable.”

“Fine.” The teenager grumbled, expression slipping back into concern as his father slumped down. “What? What is it?

“Nothing, Stiles.” The Sheriff sounded tired. “Just sore, go Lydia, and take Parrish with you.”

Stiles fussed around his father as she left, “Hold still, Dad, you’re going to make it worse. Well, finally!” He grunted as sirens filled the air outside the station.

 

Liam picked up the phone almost immediately, “Stiles?”

“Yeah.”

Mason smirked at him, wiping the sweat from his face, and gestured taking a photo. “Uh, are you coming to pick me up? My parents are both gone, so-”

“No, um, no, I, I can’t.” Stiles broke in, his voice strange. Liam felt a tendril of unease crawl into his stomach.

“Stiles? What’s wrong?”

“I…my Dad, um, you know, actually, never mind. I don’t…”

“Where are you?” Liam concentrated, hearing a PA on Stiles’ end, _Dr Carlie to Orthopaedics, Dr Carlie to Orthopaedics._ “Stiles, I can-” 

“It’s fine, I’ll tell you tomorrow, I just, I have to sign this, sorry.” Stiles ended the call abruptly and Liam felt his pulse spike, hearing the pain and stress in his boyfriend’s voice. He looked over at Mason.

“Um, I have to go.”

“What? I thought we were gonna write that essay for-”

“Sorry!” Liam called over his shoulder, dashing out of the gym. “I’ll explain tomorrow!” He picked up speed, ditching his bag into his locker and starting to run at full speed once he hit the pavement outside. It was a little over four miles to the hospital, but Liam didn’t care, he knew Stiles needed him, feeling it in the pit of his stomach, the way fear gripped him tight. 

 

Stiles paced ceaselessly outside the ER, dodging around doctors and nurses as they walked past, his head rising hopefully each time the door opened. He glanced behind him at a squeak of rubber soles on the linoleum floor. “Liam?” Stiles blinked as the werewolf charged down the hallway towards him, grunting when the Freshman hugged him fiercely. “Oof!”

Liam wrapped his arms tight around him. “Stiles!”

After a moment of enjoying the feeling of his boyfriend’s strength, Stiles stood back, shaking his head. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought you were in trouble. I could hear your pain, you were sad.” He leaned in, the top of his head brushing Stiles’ lips as Liam took a breath. “You still smell sad, worried.”

“Yeah, but, how did you get here?” Stiles half -smiled, resting his hands on Liam’s shoulders, frowning as the material shifted easily. He took in the werewolf’s rapid breathing and the sweat along his brow. “Wait, did you run here?”

“Mason doesn’t have his car yet, and I was worried.” Liam replied, avoiding his eyes. “Are you angry?”

“I think you already know the answer to that, huh?” Stiles smiled at him, pulling him back into an embrace. “I love you, pup.”

“I’m gonna let that one slide.” Liam muttered, feeling Stiles’ grin wider against him.

“You’ll get used to it!”

“Ugh.”

 

Stiles squeezed his shoulder, watching as the orderlies wheeled his Dad into the room. “Hey, will you wait out here, while I talk to him?”

“Of course.” Liam nodded, sitting down nearby. “I’ll be right here, ok?”

“Ok.” Stiles slipped in behind the exiting men, and looked at his father. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore.” The Sheriff grunted, wincing as he started filling out the medical forms. He glanced up as another doctor came in. “Well?”

“We have you scheduled for surgery in the morning Mr Stilinski-”

“Sheriff.” Stiles corrected sharply.

“Sheriff,” The doctor amended, “But it’ll be quite the job to dig that slug out of your shoulder.”

The Sheriff grunted resignedly, gesturing at him. “Uh, what are these parts? What does this mean?” He pointed at the form, flicking it up as Stiles craned to see it.

“Well, um, that’s between your medical insurer and you, it essentially refers to areas that aren’t covered by your insurance.” The doctor explained.

“Like what? The expensive stuff?”

“I really can’t discuss that with you, Mr-Sheriff-Stilinski.” He shrugged uncomfortably, “Just try and rest now, the morphine should begin to kick in shortly.” The doctor offered them a brief smile before leaving the room quickly.

Stiles chewed his fingernails nervously. _Thanks Parrish, as if my Dad didn’t have enough to worry about paying back. This is…It’s all my damn fault._ He could feel tears pricking the back of his eyes, _If we hadn't insisted on me going to Eichen, if they didn't do the MRI scan, because it wasn’t the illness, it was some stupid fox spirit. How did I let this happen? If I hadn’t wanted to talk to him about the Benefactor he wouldn’t-_

"Hey, stop that." The Sheriff said, staring at him. "I was just curious about the terminology, I mean, we're not in dire straits."

Stiles didn't look at him, feeling sick, panic rising in his chest. "I know about the bills, Dad." He sighed, finally looking at his father, seeing the man's expression change sharply. "And I know about the collectors, calling about Eichen House, and I know about the advance from the Department, about the credit cards." 

Liam lingered outside the door, listening, but unseen, he knew he shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but he could almost taste Stiles’ panic. He frowned, hearing the mingled surprise and anger in the Sheriff’s voice.

"Stiles, are you going through my stuff?" 

"Yeah, I go through all your stuff,” Stiles nodded as though it should be obvious. “Especially when you _keep_ things from me."

"I keep things from you because you don't need to know everything!" The Sheriff replied sternly. 

Liam felt his claws emerge as Stiles pulse shot up and he clenched his fists hard, to control the shift that threatened to overwhelm him, resisting the urge to run into the room. He closed his eyes, blocking out everything around him, until all he could hear was Stiles’ heart-beat, no longer the steady pulse he was used to, it spiked with anxiety and dread, but Liam didn’t care, losing himself in the rhythmic pounding, his desire to shift decreasing. There was silence in the room, and he almost poked his head around the door, but then Stiles spoke again.

"Yes, I need to know everything!" Stiles stared at his Dad, gesturing helplessly. "How else am I supposed to take care of you?"

"You're not supposed to _take care of me_!" The Sheriff barked, "I'm the Dad! You're the son! Ye get it? Dad! Son!" He pointed at himself and then at Stiles. The teenager rolled his eyes. "I take of you!"

Liam growled, his claws reappearing, seeing his eyes flick to yellow in the reflection of the picture frame opposite him. “Grrr…”

Stiles was about to reply when he noticed the claw marks in the doorframe, and remembered Liam was outside. _Better not get too angry, Dad, or you’ll be staring down a fully-loaded werewolf. My werewolf_ He sighed and threw himself into the nearby armchair. They sat in tense silence for a moment that stretched into several minutes. He listened intently, but with no werewolf hearing, Stiles wasn’t sure if Liam was still outside. 

“Stiles?” The Sheriff was looking at him, apology in his eyes.

The teenager glanced at his father, shaking his head. "We're supposed to take care of each other."

“Yeah, uh, well,” The Sheriff floundered, his voice softening, "Hey, we're gonna be alright."

"How do you know that, Dad?"

"I don't." The Sheriff rested his head back against the pillows, "But the morphine is kicking in, and I'm not that worried about it anymore." His eyes closed, drifting off as Stiles waited beside him, thousand-yard stare boring into the wall.

 

“Hey.”

Stiles blinked and looked up, seeing Liam standing in front of him. “Hey.” He muttered back, quietly. “You heard all that, huh?”

“I…yeah.” The werewolf shrugged, voice small. “I guess I shouldn’t have, and I was gonna move away, but then I heard his anger and…” Liam trailed off, gesturing aimlessly. 

Stiles frowned, and reached out, taking one of his hands, seeing blood flecks. “What’s this?”

“Nothing.” Liam tried half-heartedly to pull his hands away, but reluctantly opened his clenched fists when Stiles looked at him. “It’s for control, it hurts and I stay human, and then I heal.”

“Liam,” Stiles murmured, staring at him. “I thought you didn’t need to do that?”

“Yeah, but you were stressed and I could feel your fear and, it,” He glanced at his boyfriend, blinking. “It was sore. My heart, my chest, everything was sore.”

“Right.” Stiles nodded, as they lapsed into silence. 

Liam let him hold his hand, a brief connection that eased the ache he felt from Stiles. He wasn't good at comforting people, protecting, yes, avenging, yes, hurting, definitely. But this was alien territory for him. “What can I do?”

“C’mere.” The older teenager gestured, and pulled him down into his lap, hugging him tightly. Liam’s body was hard where Stiles wanted it to be, but not bony, muscular, warm, he loved hugging him, and after a moment where Liam didn’t respond, the werewolf settled into his arms. “Thanks.”

Liam nodded silently, feeling himself melt against Stiles, resting his head against his shoulder, nose rubbing softly against his neck, his boyfriend’s scent returning to normal; strong, sweet, heady enough to make his eyes droop. The werewolf groaned in protest when he felt Stiles shaking his shoulder. “Mmmh.”

“I’m pretty sure my Dad would freak out if he saw us like this.” Stiles whispered into his ear. “And I’d like to sleep in a proper bed tonight. Your parents are gone, right?”

“Uh, yeah,” Liam nodded, the question forcing him awake. “You wanna stay over?”

“I don’t want to be alone,” Stiles said, kissing him softly. “And you’re actually really warm, I always sleep better when you sleep on me.”

Liam grinned, nuzzling against him some more. “You’ve got your Jeep, right? Because I don’t think I can run that far again.”

“Heh, yeah. C’mon.” Stiles got to his feet, immediately mourning the loss of the werewolf’s presence against him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite a long chapter for this update, but I figured it was due, and I kinda needed something fluffy tonight.


	34. Sanctuary From the World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter is quite different from everything so far. It's why I've changed the rating and added in new tags, I've been thinking that as much as I love the fluffy nature of this story, Stiles and Liam are also teenagers, and sometimes teenage urges just have to be given into. But, having said that, I might only do this type of chapter every now and then. 
> 
> So then, this chapter contains some sexually explicit scenes. I'll be posting the regular sort of chapters as normal during the week; probably on a Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday cycle. 
> 
> One final thing, I haven't had the urge to write this type of intense sexual scene in quite a long time, and I want to give most of the credit for that changing to reading the stories of TVTime, who writes literally the best sex scenes I have ever read! Check him out!

Stiles followed Liam inside, blinking as his eyes tried to adjust to the darkness of the house, from the bright lights of the street. He reached out his hands to touch the back of the werewolf’s sweater, “Hey, wait.”

“C’mon, Stiles!” Liam called over his shoulder, not realizing how dark it was. “Are you-”

“Gah!”

“Stiles?” The werewolf paused on the stairs, glancing around, frowning as he saw Stiles sitting on the floor. “Are you ok?”

“Fine.”

“Did you fall over?”

“Yes, Liam, I fell over.” Stiles glared at him, muttering through clenched teeth. “I can’t see in the dark.”

“Oh, sorry.” He looked sheepishly at Stiles and walked over to him, offering a hand. Liam pulled him up, lips twitching as Stiles rubbed his ass cheeks. 

“What are you smirking at, pup?” The teenager grunted, shaking off the pain. He frowned as Liam grinned openly. “What?”

“Well, I’m thinking that since you can’t see in the dark, and there are hazards on the floor, it might be safer for you if I just did this!” He finished speaking and dived forward, scooping Stiles up with ease. “Hah!”

“Hey! What? Put me down!” Stiles protested, squirming as Liam tightened his grip around his shoulders and legs. “Liam!”

“Nope!” The werewolf giggled and ran up the stairs, grinning as Stiles struggled in his arms. He glanced at his boyfriend once they reached his room and Stiles had stopped moving, looking at him with a perplexed expression instead.

“This is actually kinda comfortable.” He rested his head against Liam’s arm and closed his eyes. “I could fall asleep right now.”

“Uh, don’t.” Liam frowned and tipped him onto the bed, shouting, “We’re here!”

“Hey!” Stiles’ shout of protest was lost in the thick duvet of Liam’s bed, which he fell into face-first. He rolled over and looked back at the werewolf, shaking his head as they both smiled. “Don’t ever do that again.”

“Maybe...” Liam flicked on the lights and shuffled over to his closet, kicking the loose clothes into the wardrobe. “Uh, sorry for the mess.”

“It’s fine, pup.” Stiles laid back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling, face flushed after what Liam had just done. _Perks of a werewolf boyfriend, I guess._ He turned his head sideways as the werewolf lay down next to him.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah,” Stiles smiled at him. “Feels like I’m a million miles from the hospital here with you.”

“You can stay here any time, Stiles.” Liam replied eagerly, reaching out to hold his hand. “I mean, if, uh…something happens.” He struggled for the right way to say it, but saw Stiles smile sadly at him.

“As awesome it is spending time with you, Liam, I kinda hope that doesn’t happen.” He sighed. “My Dad says he has it all under control, but I’m not sure.”

Liam whined softly as he smelt Stiles’ anxiety and stress increase again, his pulse spiking, and moved closer to him, head on his chest, dragging Stiles’ arm around him, hand on top of his own. He could feel Stiles smirking at him, the pull of his lips from the corner of his eyes. Liam snuggled closer to him, nuzzling his face into Stiles’ t-shirt, the anchoring scent calming him as he heard his boyfriend’s heart-beat begin to slow as well. Stiles adjusted his grip around him, Liam grinning to himself as the older teenager’s fingers slipped under his shirt, a soft touch on his skin, somehow pulling them closer together. “That’s nice.”

“Mmh,” Stiles replied drowsily. “Told you I sleep better with you on me, pup.”

“You gonna call me that all the time from now?”

Stiles blinked his eyes, looking down to find Liam staring at him, the intensity of his gaze making his pulse spike and another part of his body react. “Um, I thought you liked it?”

“I said I didn’t _mind_ it.” Liam shrugged, smirking as he felt Stiles’ cock lengthen along his thigh. “Is this something that turns you-”

“No!” Stiles broke in quickly. “That’s, well, that’s just you. You’re so damn cute, pup.”

Liam rolled his eyes. “You know, Stiles, if you’re gonna keep calling me that, I feel like I should get to choose a pet name for you.”

"Err, no, don't think so."

"What? But you've been calling me pup all day!" Liam protested, raising himself up on one arm. “It’s not fair.”

"So? Older boyfriend gets to do that." He rubbed his hand on Liam’s back in soothing circular motions, fingers drifting across the smooth, warm skin. “It’s an unwritten rule.”

"No, it isn't!" The werewolf glared at him indignantly.

"Yup." Stiles nodded knowledgably. “You wouldn’t know, but I’ve had other boyfriends.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“Prove it.”

“What? I can’t do that.” Liam glared at him. “You’re my first boyfriend!”

“Well then, _pup_ , that means I get to call you pup as much as I want!” Stiles grinned triumphantly.

"Grr." Liam grumbled under his breath, until a phrase from a song popped into his mind. He grinned at Stiles, "Ok, fine, sugar pie honey bunch!"

"What did you just call me?" Stiles’ hands froze.

"I heard it in a club mix last week that Mason gave me, but, uh, it fits you right?!" Liam smirked, getting up on all fours and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. “You’re so sweet and tasty! But, uh, I guess I better just make sure I don't let that slip in front of Scott. Or Malia!"

"You, you, you!" Stiles spluttered at him. “Rawwr!” He mock-growled and dived on top of Liam, catching the werewolf off guard and rolled him onto his back. Liam started laughing, and fighting back, the two teenagers wrestling each other across the crumpled bedsheet. Stiles let him pull back, shuffling around on his knees as he tensed up, ready for his boyfriend to come at him again. 

Liam watched Stiles circle him, smiling, and then darted forward, pushing Stiles back down, careful not to hurt him with his supernatural strength. “Haha!”

“Nope!” Stiles reached for his legs and tripped him, diving back on top of the werewolf and reaching under him for his arms, grinning as Liam let him take control of them, feeling just enough resistance to know his boyfriend wanted to keep playing. “Damn, it’s warm!” The teenager pulled his shirt off, t-shirt already feeling stifling, and threw it to one side, grunting as Liam used the opportunity to pull out of his grip and buck up, turning over so he was looking up at Stiles, the teenager managing to maintain his position, straddling Liam’s waist. The werewolf went to flip him over, but Stiles reacted quickly, leaning his weight forward and pushing Liam’s arms back down, over his head, fingers gliding across the muscular biceps.

“You know I could just use my werewolf strength, right?” Liam smirked at him. “And push you right off?”

"Hey, no cheating, pup!"

“I’m hot.” He complained, cheeks flushed, feeling himself harden as Stiles shifted around so close to his crotch.

“Yeah, I know.” Stiles grinned, but leaned closer to him, whispering as his eyes fluttered to a close. “Doesn’t mean I’m going to let you go, though!”

Liam snorted and was about to reply when Stiles kissed him. It was different from the way he usually did it, it wasn’t hesitant or careful, but lustful, pressing, hungry. The werewolf moaned and responded quickly when he felt his boyfriend’s tongue press against his closed lips, a shiver thrilling down his spine as their tongues touched. His cock was hard now, and Liam moaned louder into Stiles’ mouth, feeling his lips twist into a grin. Liam’s hands reached up, slipping under Stiles’ shirt and rubbing along the Junior’s hard chest, tentatively at first, and then with more determination as he heard Stiles’ groan encouragingly into his mouth. 

Stiles stopped kissing him, hands reaching down to tug Liam’s shirt out of his pants, the Freshman getting the hint and pulling it off quickly. The older teenager resumed kissing Liam, harder and more urgently than before; starting on his jaw and neck, feeling his trunks strain and a dampness as he ground harder against his boyfriend. Stiles ignored the voice in the back of his mind that was telling him to take it easy, to stop, to remember that Liam was still only… _I know!_ He barked at his mind, removing his tongue from Liam’s neck, savouring the taste of his boyfriend’s skin on his lips. Liam was moaning, twisting under him, enjoying what he had been doing. Stiles blinked, eyes trailing down the young werewolf’s gleaming pectoral and stomach muscles, their makeout session leaving them both sweating and hard. “Fuck, you’re so hot.”

“Why’d you stop?” Liam looked at him, eyes half open, his hand reaching for Stiles’ arm.

“I…I don’t want to go too fast.”

“It’s not.”

“You’re still only fifteen, Liam,” Stiles shrugged, rolling off him, and scooting back towards the headboard. “It just, it feels like I’m taking advantage of you.”

“You’re not.” Liam insisted, sitting up. “I want you, I want…” He trailed off, looking pointedly at the obvious erection in Stiles’ pants, cheeks flushing as Stiles glanced down and then back at him. 

“Err, that’s not gonna happen.” Stiles shook his head, “Do you know how much trouble I’d be in?”

“Well, when can we at least get close to it?” Liam asked, moving closer to him, sitting cross-legged as his boyfriend avoided his eyes. “Stiles?”

“When are you sixteen?”

“A few months, June.” He frowned, suddenly looking hurt. “Wait, I told you when my birthday was!”

“Oh, yeah.”

“I can’t believe you forgot that.” Liam muttered sullenly, glaring at Stiles when the teenager reached out to take his hand. He sulked for a moment before giving in and letting Stiles hold his hand. “What?”

Stiles moistened his lips, but changed his mind about what he was going to say at the last second. “Nothing, I’m sorry, I’ve been distracted.”

“Yeah, well, I just have to make it to June…” Liam replied darkly.

“You will, we all will.” Stiles grinned at him suddenly, “You better, I’ve been resisting every urge I have to dive into your pants since I’ve met you!”

“Oh!” Liam blinked, feeling his body respond instantly, “I, I guess I knew, it’s just, you have a lot of self-control.”

“Yeah…So, what are we going to do about this?” Stiles smirked at him, tugging his hardon through his pants. He moistened his lips, taking a breath and suggested, “Um, do you want to jerk off like last time?”

“I jerked off, you looked at me.”

“It took you thirty seconds!”

“That’s because you were looking at me!” Liam protested, “With your eyes and your, your-”

“Uh huh. Eloquent.” Stiles smirked, but then nodded. “Ok.”

“Seriously?” Liam grinned and rushed forward, kissing Stiles hard, losing his balance and falling onto the Junior’s chest. “Oof!”

“Ok, easy, pup, easy.” Stiles rolled him off to one side, his hands lingering on Liam’s hard biceps. He pulled off his t-shirt, grinning as he heard Liam quickly strip out of his trousers. “Eager, huh?”

“I’ve seen it before,” Liam nodded at Stiles’ bulge, watching his boyfriend’s patterned trunks come into view, “But, I’ve never _seen_ it up close!”

“Well, don’t get too excited,” Stiles muttered, embarrassed by the rapt attention Liam was paying him. He glanced over, his pulse spiking as he saw that his boyfriend was already naked, already jerking off. “I thought we were gonna do this together?”

“We are, you’re being slow.”

“Ugh.” Stiles grunted and arched his back, pushing his underwear down, ears burning as he heard Liam’s gasp. “It’s not that big…”

“Stiles!”

He looked to one side, shaking his head slowly, as his left hand casually played with the cum-slick head. Liam was close to him, but not close enough. “C’mere, closer, that’s it.” Stiles muttered as their arms and thighs touched each other, heat flashing across from the werewolf. His lips parted and he reached over, fingers running across Liam’s sweat-streaked skin. 

The werewolf moaned softly as his boyfriend’s hand ghosted across his abs and he almost came when Stiles touched the hard length of his cock. “Fuck!” Stiles was grinning at him and Liam spread his legs wider, smirking as the Junior lifted his right leg slightly, allowing the Freshman to hook his leg under. “Mmmh.”

“Ok, now we can start!” 

Liam rolled his eyes, but grasped his shaft firmly, and began working it up and down, the steady stream of precum leaking from cock giving him enough lube to not worry about friction. But his attention wasn’t on his cock, rather, his eyes were roving across Stiles’ body, paler than his, skin smooth and slick with sweat, toned muscles across his chest and stomach seeming to stand out better than the last time Liam had seen his boyfriend shirtless. Stiles had bit his lip, eyes partly closed, hand already a blur, moving up and down his long cock with practiced ease. The werewolf’s eyes darted down to it, taking in the trimmed patch of hair in front, the heavy balls bouncing in their pouch below, feeling his mouth water and ass clench uncontrollably. _Oh, man, imagine what having that in your mouth must feel like! And your ass!_ His mind supplied, playing back memories of the porn he had watched some days before. But Liam quickly dismissed it, his concentration on Stiles, hearing the little moans every time the teenager’s hands reached the sensitive head and flicked across it. He licked his lips hungrily, the scent of Stiles’ arousal was already more than enough for him. Liam blinked as he realized that with the sweat pouring off Stiles’ body and onto his sheets, he’d be able to smell that sweet, spicy eroticism for weeks to come. _I’m never changing this duvet!_ He grinned and spread his legs wider as Stiles' jaw slackened and the teenager’s eyes snapped towards him, deep brown eyes that Liam couldn’t look away from. “Uhhh.”

“Oh, Liam, I’m close!” Stiles groaned, sweeping his gaze across the shiny musculature of the werewolf, his hand jackhammering up and down on his cock. “Looks like you’re not too far either!”

“Mmmh!” The werewolf managed, eyes darting down as Stiles’ free hand reached across and tweaked his erect nipple. Liam groaned at the added, unexpected, sensation and arched his back, his eyes shifting to yellow as he lost control over them. “I can’t-”

“Perfect, go for it pup!” Stiles cried out, kissing him hard, their tongues smashing into each other, the final push over the edge before they both soared. He grinned, pulling his mouth away from Liam as the Freshman called out his name loudly, his cum firing upwards in an arc, splattering across his chin and chest, puddling on his abs. The sight was too much for Stiles and he groaned, “Uh, Liam!” 

His own cumshot drenched his chest as Liam glanced at him, lips parted. “Fuck, oh my god, oh, oh my, fucking, that was…”

“The best jerk off I’ve ever had!” Liam finished for him, panting hard, hearing both of their hearts pounding loudly in his ears. The werewolf wiped the cum from his face, glancing at his hand before smearing it on his nipple, making Stiles grunt hungrily. He looked at his boyfriend, eyes flicking over his body, sweat and cum mixing together into a potent scent so strong he could practically touch it. His cock wanted to rise again, but Liam saw Stiles about to get up. “No, wait.”

“Liam, I’m covered in cum, I need to wipe it off.”

“No, uh, don’t, you look, err.” His ears burned, despite what they had just shared together. “Uh, stay there, let me, let me sleep on you like that.”

“Err…” Stiles hesitated, but saw the look in his boyfriend’s blazing yellow eyes and nodded, “Ok.”

“Good.” Liam pushed down the duvet and gestured for Stiles to lie flat. His cock was hard again, but the werewolf didn’t touch it, instead lying on top of the Junior, grunting happily as he felt Stiles’ still warm cum press against his naked body. “There.”

“Huh.” Stiles frowned, but opened his legs, letting Liam get into a more comfortable position. He hadn’t meant for them to sleep naked, but the werewolf was so warm, nuzzling him gently that Stiles didn’t feel like disturbing him again, letting his hands drift down to rest on Liam’s ass cheeks, a delicious thrill going through him. “You ok, pup?”

“Mmmh, hmm.” Liam nodded, kiss Stiles’ neck softly. “Perfect like this.” _I’ll get to smell like you for days!_


	35. Reaction

Liam sighed, a throaty rumble that made him glance down at Stiles, making sure he hadn’t stirred the teenager. But Stiles was still asleep, having pushed Liam off him, dreaming, and readjusting when the werewolf lay on his back nearby. It was comfortable, but the peaceful sleep he had enjoyed after their jerk off session was short lived and Liam quickly woke to images of sharp claws and a bloody Stiles on the floor of the hospital, the same nightmare that had been plaguing his sleep since he and Kira confronted the Berserker. He didn’t want to tell Stiles, didn’t want to add another worry to his already burdened shoulders. Besides, he was a werewolf! And Liam was determined not to let his dream come true, he would protect Stiles no matter what it took. 

“Mmph.” 

He smiled slightly, feeling Stiles hug him tighter, warm nakedness pressed against him. The werewolf looked down again, feeling his cock start to rise as he gently stroked his hand across Stiles’ back, relaxing into him. But then Liam blinked, a flickering image of claws in the darkness forcing his pulse to quicken, attention diverted elsewhere. He ignored the tiredness pulling at him, adjusting his position, arm over his head, playing with his short hair, the gelled-up points still stuck together. But Stiles was closer to him, head on his shoulder, warm breath tickling his nipple back into erotic hardness, and the Freshman moaned slightly, his hardon pressing up against Stiles’ leg. He groaned and rolled over, shifting in the bed so that his boyfriend was behind him, Stiles reacting naturally and slipping an arm under Liam’s, pulling them close together. His erection didn’t dissipate and the werewolf breathed deep, tasting Stiles’ scent on the air around them, even if the Junior was soft against his ass. 

Liam felt his eyes drooping, unable to resist any longer, not when it felt so safe and warm in his bed, with him. But just as he was about to fall asleep his printer whirred to life and sheets spewed out of it accompanied by a loud noise.

_Brrrring!_

“What the?!” Stiles woke suddenly at the noise, flailing as the monsters in his dreams faded. He looked around sleepily, seeing Liam sitting up beside him. “Huh? Wha…What’s going on?”

“My printer.” Liam muttered, slipping out of the bed, feet cool on the wooden floor. He could hear Stiles groaning behind him, but the swish of the duvet being thrown off meant his boyfriend was coming to investigate too. The werewolf bent down to pick up a sheet. He frowned. “Stiles?”

"Hmm? What is it now?” He grinned, “Demonic printers?"

"The names are crossed off." Liam muttered as the pages continued to fall around him. "The deadpool..."

"Well, turn it off." Stiles gestured at the machine. “Your parents aren’t home, right?”

“No, no, they’re not. I’m meant to be sleeping over at Mason’s.” He replied, attention fixed on the sheets in front of him. “This is…”

“Printer, Liam.”

“Oh, right.” Liam dropped the sheet, and tapped the cancel button, frowning as it kept printing, and hit it again. "It won't!" He scrambled around to the back of the machine and yanked the cord out, breathing a sigh of relief. 

Stiles joined him as he stood back up, hand on his shoulder soothingly, kissing his neck. "You ok, pup?"

"Yeah, yeah, I just..." Liam felt himself harden again and blushed, biting his lip as Stiles pulled him back against his warm body with a one-handed hug. “Mmh.”

"Did you even get any sleep?" Stiles asked, checking his phone with his free hand. “Liam?”

"I was dropping off when that happened."

"At four-thirty in the morning?"

"Err..."

“Something you want to tell me, pup?”

Liam hesitated for a moment, the image of the Berserker’s claws shredding through his boyfriend’s chest flashing across his mind’s eye. He shook his head, “No, it’s nothing.” Liam forced a smile, rolling his head back to look at Stiles, “I guess I was just too excited to sleep when you were in the bed, uh, naked.”

“Oh,” Stiles blinked, looking down his body, and across to Liam’s, seeing them both aroused, his hand drifting down the werewolf’s abs. “Well, you really should get some sleep before school, um, try and relax.”

“I can think of a way to relax!” The werewolf grinned genuinely and pressed himself against Stiles’ body, reaching up to kiss him hard, bad dreams forgotten.

 

“Will you just chill out about it?” Stiles said as he pushed open the door, backing into the school hallway. “It’ll be fine.”

“If you say so,” Liam muttered, slowing to a sudden stop as he saw Scott waiting by Stiles’ locker, the Alpha’s eyes immediately picking them out from the crowd. “Um…”

“What?” Stiles glanced behind himself, waving at his best friend. “It’s just Scott, he probably wants to fill us in on the Parrish thing.”

“Yeah, right.” The werewolf replied softly, dragging his feet as Stiles dashed up the corridor. He had loved waking up smelling of Stiles, loved being surrounded by the scent in his room, on his bed, so much so that Liam had turned over and burrowed his nose into the comforter when Stiles went to have a shower. The Beta even rolled around in the duvet one more time, naked, to get as much of Stiles' delicious, perfect, calming scent on him before he got up. He hadn't showered, either, wanting to keep himself drowning in that intoxicating scent as long as possible. However, as Liam approached Scott, he was rapidly regretting that decision, and avoided the Alpha's penetrating gaze.

“Hey, Scott! You alright?!” Stiles boomed out, grinning widely at him. “Don’t worry about my Dad, he’s gonna make a full recovery. You gonna tell us about Parrish?”

“Err, yeah.” Scott replied slowly, brows pulled together, his eyes flicking between Liam and Stiles, a slight shake of his head, and then his eyes widened, nostrils flaring. 

Liam groaned under his breath. _He totally knows we slept together…_

"Hey, Stiles can I talk to you for a minute?" Scott said suddenly, interrupting the other Junior’s rambling story about “naked Parrish”.

"Uh-"

"I need him!" Liam cried out, grabbing Stiles' arm and pulling him away.

“Um, yeah, uh, sorry, Scott.” Stiles called over his shoulder, confused. “I’ll be, uh-”

"Fine, I'll see you in class, Stiles.” Scott huffed, smirking suddenly, “We have Econ together, remember?!"

“Uh, yeah.” Stiles turned to face Liam as the Freshman stopped outside the trophy case. “What’s up?”

“Err, it’s uh, um,” Liam blushed, his ears burning, speaking barely above a whisper as Stiles frowned, leaned into him. “It’s about last night, Scott can, you know, smell it. He can smell me, except I probably smell more like you.”

“So?”

“So, he, it’s awkward!”

“Hey, shush, c’mon, pup, it’s alright.” Stiles said, hugging him, voice not quite a whisper.

Liam’s face went an even darker shade of red and he pulled back, glaring at Stiles. “Hey!”

“I got Econ.” Stiles released him quickly, and skipped off up the corridor, “I’ll see you at lunch!”

Liam stared after him, his eyes diverting once more to Scott, seeing his Alpha’s lips move. The werewolf closed his eyes and hung his head. _Gah! Stiles!_

 

Scott glanced at Stiles as he caught up, “Hey, what did you just say to him?”

“Huh?” 

“It sounded like…I could have almost sworn you said pop? Pup, maybe?"

“Dude, you’re hearing things.” Stiles shrugged, not missing a beat, directing a flirty smirk at Scott. “And I can tell you what I said to him, if you _really_ want to know!”

“Err, no! No, I’m, no, Stiles, god no!”

Stiles chuckled to himself as he sat down at his usual desk, pulling out his books. He acted normal, only glancing at Scott a few times, seeing the werewolf fidget nervously with his pen. 

After Greenberg stood up and went to the top of the room to start his report, Scott cleared his throat. “So, um…”

“Greenberg!” Coach cut across the struggling lacrosse player. “Is that the best you can do? Is this what we’re going to have to sit through for the next fifteen minutes?! Ugh, carry on!”

Stiles rested his jaw on his hand and looked at Scott, talking quietly as Finstock continued to berate Greenberg. “What is it, Scott?”

“So, um, you stay the entire night at the hospital?”

“No.”

“Did you go home?”

“Not exactly.”

“Err,” The Alpha looked increasingly uncomfortable, “You go to Liam’s?”

“Uh huh.” Stiles smirked, pressing his lips together to stop himself from laughing, and looked at the ceiling. “Yup.”

“Dude, I…” Scott sighed and then just blurted it out, "I could smell you all over Liam, and not just normal you!"

"Uh?"

"You know, your, sex-you!" Scott hissed, cheeks flushed, lowering his voice further when Kira looked back at them. “Your cum!”

"How do you know what my cum smells like?" The teenager stared at him, mouth open. “Scott, that is super-creepy!”

"Oh, come on, Stiles, you change your bed what, every two weeks? And you jerk off at least twice a night!"

"Something you wanna tell me, Scott?" Stiles smirked. “You watch me when I do that?”

"No, I just, I can just tell when it's fresh or not and he's completely covered in it! Your scent, I mean!” Scott’s voice choked and he glanced around to make sure no one was listening in. “It’s so potent that at one point, I thought there were two of you coming down the hall."

“Oh.” Stiles shrugged, not answering the implied question, even as Scott glared at him. _I mean, he was covered in it!_ “Hang on, how do you even know my sex scent? The only time that I even came close was…” He stopped, suddenly furious, whispering loudly and pointing at Scott’s face. “You said it was an emergency! You said that it was life or death!”

“Uh, yeah,” Scott looked even more uncomfortable and coughed. “I might have been lingering outside your door a little longer than I let on.”

“You, you…” Stiles leaned in closer, lowering his voice. The Alpha's skin was flushed and he almost thought he could feel heat radiating from him. “That was my first time, you know that, right? We were on the verge of a real relationship, I could’ve-”

“Stiles, I don’t think he was gonna have that with you,” Scott muttered, “Him and Ethan were taking a break, it wasn't as if you-”

"Shut up!" Stiles hissed at him, "You shut up!"

 

Liam felt Mason watching him and looked over the Bunsen Burner at him. “What?”

“So, um, I’ve noticed that you’re…” Mason trailed off, waiting for the teacher to move away from them and towards the other pairs attempting the experiment. “You’re really happy this morning.”

“So?” 

“You hate chemistry.” The teenager leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “And you’re excited, giddy, almost. Did, err, you and Stiles…?” He let the sentence hang, gesturing suggestively. Mason grinned as soon as Liam looked away from him, flush spreading up his neck. “Oh my god, you totally did!”

“No!” Liam corrected him quickly, moving closer so they wouldn’t be overheard. “Not exactly, but pretty close.”

“And?”

“Huh?”

“You gotta tell me what it was like, dude!” Mason bounced on the balls of his feet, eagerness suffusing his scent. “You’re the first one of us to have an experience like that, unless you count Sid behind the bleachers…”

“No, we don’t count Sid!” Liam shook his head quickly, “You were insane for following him, by the way.”

“That was last year!” Mason protested, “He was a Senior! And he was hot, oh, man, those arms…”

“Haha,” Liam grinned, snapping his fingers in front of his best friend’s face. “Hey, I’m gonna tell you. So, uh, we started kissing, right, heavy, hard-”

“I bet it was hard!”

“And, uh,” The werewolf paused for a moment to spare him a withering glance. “So, then we’re shirtless and he’s on top of me and like, I wanted to go further, but he’s still resisting, wants to wait until I’m at least sixteen before we do anything like, um, you know. Uh, but I convinced Stiles to…jerk off together.” He smirked as Mason’s eyes widened.

“Shit! Like, naked?”

“Uh huh, dude, he is so hot! Like toned and muscular at the same time, real smooth all down to his, err, his dick.” Liam muttered as the teacher passed them by, hurrying over to where a beaker was spilling over. He glanced sideways to see Mason nodding at him to continue, “So, then we started jerking off, and, like, Stiles is _hung_.”

"Oh man, that's so hot!" Mason groaned quietly, not expecting Liam to hear him over the loud classroom. He licked his lips and spoke slightly louder, missing the way his best friend was looking at him. "You and Stiles in bed together jerking off, that is such a hot image, I'm gonna..." Mason trailed off as Liam frowned at him. "I'm not, I don't think of you when I jerk off, or Stiles, no, uh."

“Uh huh.” _Which I would totally believe if you weren’t rock hard and drooling right now. Damn, I hate werewolf powers sometimes._ He blushed again, nodding slowly as Mason asked him how long they did it for. “Err, not long, about ten minutes maybe, we both came really quick, and he like exploded all over his chest.” Liam grinned slightly smugly, _Well, I am the first of us to actually have almost-kinda guy-sex!_ “That was literally the hottest thing ever, and then I got to fall asleep on top on him like that!” His smile faded slightly when he saw Mason's eww face. “Uh, it was...hot though.”

“Right,” Mason recovered quickly, smirking at him. “Sounds like you want to be covered in Stiles’ cum?”

“Uh,” He moistened his dry lips, another bloom of heat spread up his neck. Liam nodded slowly, “Yeah, actually, I do.” _I can’t believe I just admitted that._

“Fuck!” Mason laughed, turning away, his hand in his pocket, squeezing the raging hardon in his pants. "Now there's a hot image!"

He froze as Mason’s words reached his ears, low, almost non-existent, but his enhanced hearing caught them. Liam looked at his turned back, wondering if Stiles had fared any better with his best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some one-sided Mason/Liam here, but the pairing isn’t changing. And historical Stiles/Danny for background on this iteration of Stiles. I know there hasn’t been much in terms of plot development in these last two chapters, but I am getting there, just need to figure it out a bit more.


	36. One on One

“I’ll catch up to you, ok?” Liam said over his shoulder, heading towards Stiles’ class.

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Mason replied, “See ya.”

The werewolf didn’t look back at him, but could feel his best friend’s eyes on his back. Liam pushed the thoughts of Mason out of his mind, frowning when he saw Scott standing alone outside Finstock’s room. “Where’s Stiles?”

“Oh, err,” The Alpha licked his lips nervously. “He already left.”

“What? He always waits for me.”

“Yeah, well, it’s Stiles…” Scott attempted to grin before trailing off, as Liam glared at him.

“What did you say to him?” The Beta moved closer, brows pulled together, smelling Scott’s uneasiness, not hidden at all. “Is this about what happened last night?”

“Liam, err,” Scott started before going quiet, looking everywhere but at the angry werewolf in front of him.

“Well? Where is he?” Liam demanded, resisting the urge to flick his claws out, the scent of his boyfriend still potent enough to give him that level of control. “Scott!”

“Um, look, err, why don’t we talk outside?” He finally met Liam’s eyes, gesturing towards the door. “Some, uh, fresh air would be good.”

“Fine.” Liam grudgingly agreed, not even embarrassed anymore that he smelt of Stiles. He looked to one side, feeling as though people were staring at him, watching him. The Freshman slipped a hand inside his pocket, feeling the wrinkled printer paper rough against his fingers. He swallowed hard and hurried over to the door where Scott was waiting for him.

 

“How about here?” Scott gestured at the grass, but Liam shook his head.

“No, uh, I’m meant to be in English, the classroom is just over there.” He pointed, and then nodded towards the soccer fields. “The soccer pitch is normally quiet this time of day, right?”

"Fine.” Scott followed him, glancing around to make sure they weren’t being followed. “So…”

“What did you say to Stiles?” Liam asked, turning around to see Scott take in a deep breath. “Fuck’s sake, Scott, we barely did anything!”

“Yeah, I’m sure, Stiles didn’t really give me any details. Not that I’m looking for them!” He added hurriedly as Liam opened his mouth. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No, of course not.” Liam replied angrily. “He wouldn’t.”

“No, I know, I, I just,” Scott sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I feel like we haven’t talked properly since that time after Lydia’s boathouse. I haven’t really been much of an Alpha to you, have I?”

“Well, Stiles tells me everything I need to know.” The Freshman shrugged, scuffing the toe of his sneakers against the ground. “He knows a lot.”

“Yeah, he does.” Scott agreed. “I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be nearly so together without him, I’m glad that you two are…close.”

“Then, why were you angry with him? Yeah, I noticed it.”

Scott was silent for a moment, thinking, before he finally said, “Stiles is really smart, and he’s a great friend, but he can be impulsive, do things without thinking them through first. I guess I was worried that he forced you or-”

“You’re wrong.” Liam broke in, shaking his head. “I wanted him to be with me like that, I’ve wanted him-”

“Ok, ok!” Scott waved his hands to cut off any further words. “This is…not a subject we need to talk about.”

“Are you uncomfortable?”

“Yeah, he’s my best friend! And you’re my Beta, it just feels,” The Alpha sighed, “It feels like you trust Stiles more than me, that you’d go to him first for werewolf help, instead of me, your Alpha. But, that’s my fault, I guess, I shouldn’t have left it to Stiles to explain everything to you.”

“Right.” Liam muttered, unsure as to how he was meant to react. “It’s ok, I mean you have a lot going on trying to fight the assassins and that whole Kate Argent thing, and the, err, the Berserkers.”

Scott frowned, hearing him stumble over the final word. “What’s wrong?”

“Huh?”

“Your scent changed, you’re afraid.”

“No, I’m not!” Liam glared at him, but Scott nodded his head. 

“Yeah, you are. What’s the matter?”

“It’s…it’s nothing.” He tried to brush it off, but the Alpha looked at him, and Liam shifted around awkwardly until he finally blurted it out. “I’m having nightmares! Ok? It’s that Berserker from the roof of the hospital and he’s grabbing me, choking me, and then I’m flying backwards. But, that’s not the worst part; I’m frozen, unable to move, and the Berserker is walking over to Stiles, picking him up like he doesn’t weigh anything and just crushing him, killing him, and I can’t do anything!”

Scott listened to him, watching the werewolf pace around the field, before reaching out to touch his shoulder. “Hey, it’s just a dream, Liam, it’s not real.”

“Feels real.”

“Have you told Stiles?”

“Nuh uh.” Liam muttered, staring at the ground. “He’s already got so much to stress him out; his Dad, their money problems, not to mention the assassins trying to kill all his friends.”

“Yeah, ok,” The Alpha hesitated as Liam looked at his hand on his shoulder. Scott quickly removed it, offering his Beta a comforting smile instead. “Don’t worry about Stiles, you’ll keep him safe, like you always do. And besides, we’ve faced much worse than assassins and Berserkers before.”

“I guess, he told me about the Alpha pack.” The Freshman muttered, pulling the crumpled sheet from his pocket. “But, um, things _are_ getting worse.” 

Scott took the offered paper and frowned, “An updated deadpool? Some names are crossed out.”

“Yeah, and one has been removed.” 

"Derek's not on the list anymore."

“Uh huh, turn over.” Liam gestured, fighting to control his pounding heart, missing Stiles’ reassuring presence beside him. “I’m not worth three million anymore. It’s eighteen now. Eighteen million dollars, Scott.”

“Wow, ok.” Scott glanced at him, handing him back the page. “What did Stiles say?”

“Um, I hid it from Stiles as soon as I could, because-”

"You don't want to worry him." The Alpha finished, shaking his head slowly. "This is a problem."

"What if that happened to everyone's printer last night?" Liam asked, glancing around nervously. "What if everyone has our names? Figures out that we’re worth that much money? What do I do, Scott?"

“Find Stiles, talk to him, tell him the truth.”

“And?” Liam looked at him expectantly.

“Err, I’ll think of something.”

“Great.” The Freshman muttered. 

 

Liam stood in the middle of the hallway, eyes closed, shifting through the myriad of scents until at last he found the one that belonged to Stiles, the one that was most recent. His eyes flicked open, and the werewolf set off determinedly, rounded a corner and ran into Mason, his attention so focused on finding Stiles that he didn’t even notice his best friend’s approach. There was a strange, momentary pause before either of them spoke, Liam, remembering Mason’s whispered words from Physics class, and his obvious arousal, even if it wasn’t present now. "Uh, hey."

"Hey, Liam! There you are!"

"Um, huh?" The werewolf glanced around, trying not to lose his boyfriend’s scent. “Err.”

“You weren’t in English.” Mason, paused, eyes lighting up. “Wait, did you and Stiles do-”

“What?! No,” Liam shook his head, glaring at his best friend’s smirk.

"So, am I gonna see you at the bonfire tonight?"

"Err, I'm thinking about skipping it, I don't-"

"You're not skipping it." Mason broke in with the shake of his head.

"Why not?"

"Because you're on the lacrosse team! Don't you have to go? Is Stiles going?"

"I don't, uh..." He looked away from Mason's intense gaze, eyes slipping past a hot looking Senior and then freezing, a waking nightmare, as the Berserker stood in the center of the hallway. Liam felt his insides turn to ice, legs quivering as adrenaline swamped his system again. His mind flashed back to that moment on the roof, when his throat was gripped by the Berserker, the monster throwing him backwards as though he weighed nothing. The memory was bad enough, he saw it every night in his dreams, but it was what happened next; the imagined horror of watching the Berserker do that to Stiles, of being stuck, gasping, weak, unable to stop it, or help him, forced to lie there and watch his boyfriend being ripped in half. He wrenched his eyes away from the vision before Mason noticed and shook his head. "No, uh, I don't think so."

"No, you're going, Liam! You said you'd find me a hot lacrosse player to date!"

"What?" The werewolf glared at him suddenly. "I never said that!"

"Uhh, yeah, you totally did." Mason insisted, but Liam's focus was pulled again, flashes of memories and broken dreams and imagined horrors flickering into the waking world. He grimaced, flinching backwards as Mason touched his shoulder. "Liam?"

"Ok, uh," He had to get away from here, wanted, _needed_ to find Stiles. Liam dodged backwards, nodding. "I'll, uh, we'll be there!"

 

He found Stiles eventually, following his trail, dodging teachers and Mason, not caring that he was missing all of his classes. Liam still wasn’t entirely sure how to read the scents, the chemosignals, as Stiles had explained to him one evening when they were together. But he could feel a certain tension in his limbs, not anger, not fear, and as he moved into the open, the scent changed again, merging from the unknown to one he was more familiar with; the slightly sad scent that Stiles sometimes got when he was asleep and Liam was staying over. The werewolf always associated that scent with his boyfriend’s dreams, or that one time he woke up to find Stiles looking at the photograph of his Mom. Liam stopped at the lacrosse field, the banners and flags blowing gently in the wind, his eyes searching until he found Stiles, sitting on the low rise behind the far end of the field, facing towards the forest. Liam ran forwards, slowing to a walk as he approached his boyfriend. “Hey.”

“Huh? Oh, hi.” Stiles looked up from where he had been staring into the distance. He smiled slightly, nodding at the grass beside him. “Sit down?”

“Yeah, of course.” Liam sat next to him, shuffling closer until their shoulders and arms touched. He smiled. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“Yeah, sorry, Liam, I just needed to get away.” The teenager sighed, glancing at him, “I totally over-reacted to Scott, and I just…It’s nothing anyway, it doesn’t matter.”

“Ok.” Liam nodded, not pressing him. Instead he pulled out the page from the updated deadpool. “There’s something you need to see. I should’ve showed you this earlier.”

“Hmm.” Stiles took the paper from him, his eyes scanning the list. "Shit."

"I know."

"Does Scott-"

"Yeah, I showed him."

"Wait," Stiles turned to him, "This is from last night, isn't it?"

"Uh huh." Liam looked down, pulling out blades of grass with his fingers. "I hid it from you, didn't want you to see, to worry. You have enough going on."

“Ah,” Stiles smiled at him, and put an arm around his shoulders, hugging Liam closer. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"Huh?"

"Looking out for me? I lov-, I like that about you." Stiles rested his head gently against Liam's. "It's gonna be alright. We'll figure it out."

"That's what Scott said." Liam muttered, but didn't move away, enjoying their connection; the proximity to Stiles, his scent was fresher that the one that still clung to Liam's skin, and he breathed deep, feeling himself relax. "We're still going to the bonfire, tonight, right? I promised Mason..."

"Yeah," Stiles got up slowly, stretching. He smiled at Liam. "You kinda have to go, you're on the team, it's your first one, and they're pretty fun, actually!"

"Even with murderous assassins on the loose?"

"Even then!" Stiles reached down and pulled him up, holding onto his hand. "C'mon, we should go find Scott, I need to, uh, apologize for freaking out earlier."

"What did he say, anyway?" Liam frowned, but Stiles just smirked and shook his head. "What?"

"It doesn't matter, I have you now." He grinned at the werewolf, "And if Scott hadn't screwed up all those other times, we probably wouldn't be together." Stiles laughed at Liam's confused expression, and kissed him again, dancing out of his reach as he called back to him, "C'mon, pup!"

"Stiles! I told you not to-"

"Hahaha! Gonna have to catch me if you want me to stop!"

Liam glared at him, but then smirked, running after his boyfriend, catching him easily, and diving on top of him. “Gotcha!”


	37. Vodka Tongues

Stiles sat down next to Liam, pressing his shoulder against his boyfriend’s, a friendly nudge that made the Freshman glance at him, brows raised. “What?” 

“Get ready for it.” Stiles grinned at him. “Coach does this every year; the Bonfire Warning, not that it ever works.” 

“Why would he have to warn us?” 

“Oh, you’re so innocent, pup!”

“Stiles!” Liam glared at him, glancing around in case Scott was in hearing range. “Do that again and I swear I’ll-”

“Haha, you’ll see what I mean in a moment.” Stiles’ grin got wider and he put his hand on Liam’s, stopping the werewolf from playing with the pocket of his lacrosse stick. “Hey, it’s gonna be ok, your dream, it’s just a dream, trust me, I know about nightmares. And I’m pretty sure you slept ok, last night, right?”

“Well, for a bit, yeah.” Liam admitted, his cheeks flushing suddenly as Scott entered, looking at them. The Freshman tilted his head, lips closer to Stiles and whispered. “That was because of, you know, your scent was everywhere, it was easy to fall asleep.”

“So, we’ll do that for however long it takes to get over the bad dreams, huh?”

Liam’s eyes widened slightly. “Really? All of it?”

“Hell yeah,” Stiles grinned at him, lowering his voice. “I don’t think you’re ready for…fucking, but well, I enjoyed that last night, I kinda want you to touch me, like really badly.”

Liam glanced at Scott, seeing the Alpha avert his eyes suddenly, a flush of red creeping up Scott’s neck. He grinned sheepishly and nodded. “I guess so, if you think it’ll help me sleep.”

The older teenager laughed and smiled at Scott, their argument forgiven and forgotten, but he could see that the Alpha's mind was elsewhere, on the assassins and deadpool, probably. Stiles sighed, seeing Scott glaring moodily at the lockers across from him. “Ok, so-”

“Alright, listen up!” Coach Finstock yelled as he emerged from his office, glaring at them all. "Now, I know the start of the season bonfire is, uh, is a big deal for you guys. I also know it gets out of hand sometimes. The Alumni show up, there's other teams, and there's alcohol."

“Whoop!”

“Shut it, Greenberg!” Coach snapped as the rest of the team laughed and high-fived, Stiles grinned widely.

Liam frowned, eyes darting to Scott when he heard the Alpha mutter, “Please not again, Stiles.” The werewolf glanced at his boyfriend, a delicious roll of eagerness and excitement coming from him. Liam blinked, feeling almost drugged as he breathed in the scent. He forced himself to look back at the Coach, catching the end of his next sentence. 

"...lots and lots of alcohol."

There was enthusiastic cheering and clapping at that, Stiles joining in, even as Scott stared glumly at the floor and Liam chewed his lip, frowning when he smelt the anxiety pour off the Alpha. The clapping died down a little and Coach resumed speaking, looking around at them.

"Now, what I don't understand is why anyone would want to get stumbling-down drunk in front of a massive open fire! But, I'm also resigned to not being able to stop you guys."

More cheering.

"I'll also remind you, that your team captain," Finstock paused as Scott finally looked his way, "McCall, will be there! And I can count on _him_ to knock on any and every one of these little bastards! Especially," He walked over in front of Stiles and Liam. "You, Stilinski! We do _not_ want a repeat of last year, now, do we?"

"No, Coach." Stiles replied, smirking. “I’ll, uh, I’ll try.”

"Hmph." The Coach snorted, unconvinced, "Get back to class!"

 

Liam waited for the others to clear out of the locker room and then followed Stiles back towards his classroom across the lacrosse field. “Um, what was that about? What Coach said to you?”

“Oh, that,” Stiles laughed, exchanging a grin with Scott as the Alpha walked past, shaking his head. “So, um, last year, at the bonfire, there was this crazy hot Riverside Senior, looked a lot like Deputy Parrish actually, kinda wondered if he was his brother, man that would’ve been so-”

“Stiles!” Liam barked, bringing him back on track. “What happened?”

“So, there was booze and flirting, and he was really hot, and oh man his arms!” Stiles gestured wildly, stopping when he felt Liam’s cold eyes on him. “Uh, he, um, well he took his shirt off, ok? So, I did too, and then, he was wondering how deep my team spirit went, like, did I have Cyclone boxer briefs?”

“Oh my god.” Liam groaned, cringing. “You didn’t…?”

“He was hot!” Stiles exclaimed, ignoring the look he got from Greenberg walking past them. He lowered his voice, “But, uh, then Scott showed up with news of some supernatural bullshit that I don’t even remember.”

“And?”

“Ok, so maybe I had to walk to my Jeep in front of the entire lacrosse team and Coach in just boxer briefs.” Stiles admitted, adding quietly, “And I was really drunk, so I wasn’t embarrassed, and maybe with, like, a raging hardon.”

Liam stared at him.

"What? I had a life before I met you!" Stiles protested. "You were surrounded by all those Devenford Prep hunks, are you telling me you never...?" He grinned suggestively as Liam rolled his eyes. “C’mon, pup, I saw the captain, Brett, right? Now he’s pretty…” Stiles stopped joking around when he saw his boyfriend freeze, looking at the empty lacrosse field. "Liam? What is it?"

The Freshman stared at the Berserker standing in the middle of field. He took a deep breath, Stiles’ scent calming his beating heart, his eyes squeezing shut and then opened as the Berserker flicked and disappeared. “Nothing.” Liam said in answer to his boyfriend’s question. “Everything is fine.”

"So, you wanna come over after school, kill a few hours before the bonfire?" Stiles asked him hopefully.

"Are you...can we even do that?" Liam looked at him, frowning, "With the Deadpool and the assassins and the Ber-"

"Yes!" Stiles interrupted him enthusiastically, draping an arm around Liam's shoulders. "This exactly the time to cut loose! Enjoy high school for once! Have a little fun!"

"Just not with any lacrosse hunks." The werewolf muttered darkly.

"Hey," Stiles stopped, placing both arms around Liam's shoulders, fingers intertwined behind his neck. "The only lacrosse hunk I want to have fun with tonight is you!" He kissed him hard, feeling Liam smile against his lips. 

"Stilinski! Dunbar!" Coach yelled at them as they glanced guiltily at him, "Go to class!"

 

Stiles pushed his door open with his free hand, the other holding the towel to his waist. Liam rolled over from his position on the bed, hugging one of Stiles’ pillows to his face. “Uh, what are you doing?”

“Nothing!” The werewolf answered quickly, looking guilty as he threw the pillow behind him. “Just, uh, waiting for you.” He licked his lips, eyes darting across Stiles’ wet torso, water drops from his shower winding their way down his skin. “Uh, you know I’ve seen you naked before, right?”

“Uh huh.” Stiles frowned at him, not buying the Freshman’s excuse. But then he smirked and dropped the towel, holding it in front of his body. “But, um, I figured we might leave that until tonight, when we, err, you, need to sleep?”

“Ok.” Liam nodded eagerly and climbed off the bed. “So, do I have to wear my lacrosse jersey or just normal clothes?”

“Eh, either.” Stiles answered as he walked over to his underwear drawer. “Usually the team wear their jersey, without the armor, of course.” He glanced at Liam, smiling. “And you’ll look super-cute in yours, by the way!”

“Thanks.” Liam grinned at him, and pulled his t-shirt off. “And those jeans, right?”

“Yeah.” Stiles looked at them as he got dressed, eyes flicking back across his boyfriend’s muscular body. “Hey, we’re gonna match!”

“Is that wrong?”

“No,” The teenager closed the distance between them, kissing Liam softly. “It’s perfect.”

“Mmh.” Liam grumbled as Stiles backed off, but nodded as he looked at his watch. “We better hurry up if we’re gonna pick up Mason. You’re ok with him going with us?”

“Yeah.” Stiles nodded at the same time as he tried to pull his jersey over his head. “Gah!” Liam smirked and leant over, yanking the shirt down. “Thanks.”

“Any time!”

“But, yeah, he’s your friend, and since you told him that you’d set him up…”

“Ugh,” Liam groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

“Hey, I know a couple of other lacrosse teams will be there, plus the alumni.” Stiles gripped Liam’s shoulder as they both stood in front of the mirror. “We’ll find him someone smokin’ hot! Though not as hot as either of us, of course!”

Liam rolled his eyes as he fixed his hair, leaning back into Stiles, loving how his boyfriend crossed his arms across his chest, hugging him. “Well, either way, I’m pretty sure he’s gonna be jerking off tonight thinking about what we did last night. I kinda told him everything.”

“Hah! And Scott still doesn’t know what we did!” Stiles laughed, shaking his head at his boyfriend’s unasked question. “I don’t mind, in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been the star of someone’s sexual fantasies before, kinda hot.”

“Stiles,” Liam stared at him. “One, that’s my best friend, so stop. And two, before last night, who the hell do you think I’ve been thinking about every time I jerk off?!”

“Oh.” He frowned, but then grinned widely. “Awesome!”

 

“Thanks, Stiles.” Mason said as he settled into the backseat. “My parents have said they’re gonna get me a car for my birthday, but that’s not for another few months.”

“It’s cool,” The teenager replied, shifting gears, “We probably should have hung out sooner, anyway, Liam knows all my friends, but I don’t really know any of his.”

“Uh, yeah, I guess that’s true.” Mason nodded at him. “You’ve been keeping him to yourself lately!”

“Hmm.” Stiles considered his words, smiling before the Freshman could take them back. “You’ve got a point, but this is still our first date really.” He ignored Liam’s glare. “The other one, Lydia’s party, didn’t go so well.”

“What happened?”

“We got, um, interrupted.”

“Oh, yeah?” The Freshman clicked his tongue and smirked.

Liam frowned as he smelt Mason’s scent shift from nervous excitement to just excitement, and he spoke quickly before Stiles could do any more damage. “His drink got spiked, so I had to drive him home.”

“Right.” Mason nodded. “I was wondering why I didn’t see you there. But, uh, let’s hope that won’t happen tonight, eh?”

“Hopefully not.” Stiles grinned, “I’ll probably still get super-drunk, but, haha.” He became serious, looking into the rear-view mirror, “Do you know how you’re getting home?”

“I was hoping in the back of a lacrosse player’s car!”

Liam’s head shot up, and he glared sideways at Stiles. _He is not flirting with my boyfriend right now._

“Err, not yours.” Mason corrected quickly. “But um-”

“Oh, yeah, don’t worry.” Stiles said, pulling into the school parking lot, as the music began to drift into the Jeep. “Liam and I will find you some hot stud to, err, fool around with.”

“Yeah.” Liam nodded after a moment. 

“Cool!” Mason grinned and climbed out of the Jeep as Stiles killed the engine and opened the door. “Thanks!”

 

Stiles grinned to himself as he felt the bass reverberating inside his chest, his heart matching the beat for a moment before the music spiralled upwards in preparation for the drop. He nodded towards the metal Cyclone symbol standing in the middle of the quad, as the lasers and strobes flashed and arced across them. “Over here!” Stiles called out, grabbing Liam’s hand and gesturing at Mason. “C’mon!” They pushed through the crowd of teenagers and college-age guys just in time to see the torch bearer thrust the flaming baton towards the Cyclone. It ignited with a whoosh and Stiles cheered with everyone else. Liam exchanged a grin with Mason, nodding over at the drinks stand. 

“Hey, you see that guy in the white t-shirt?”

“Uh,” Mason looked around, before nodding. “Yeah, I see him. He’s looking at us.”

“He’s looking at you.” Liam grinned, giving his best friend a little push in the back. “Go on, he’s pretty hot!”

“Yeah, he is.” Mason swallowed, and stumbled forward. “Ok, I can do this, he’s only a few years older, or maybe, ok, let’s, err…”

Liam smirked as he watched his friend push through the crowd. He looked back to see Stiles gesturing at him. “Coming!” The bass began to pound harder and louder as the party kicked into a higher gear. “What?”

Stiles grinned at him, taking his hand. "Hey, let's dance."

"Uh, ok."

Liam started to move slowly, nodding his head, tapping his foot, a sudden unease entering his stomach. He kept looking over his shoulder now and then, watching as Mason started to flirt with the older guy, grinning as he saw his friend accept the offered drink. The werewolf turned back, to find Stiles dancing like a crazy person in front of him, hands up, arms waving, gyrating his body, grinning madly. “Err…”

“C’mon, Liam!” Stiles shouted at him, his arms pumping as he started to jump wildly. “Yeah!”

Liam stared at him, cheeks flushing. “I don’t!”

“You gotta feel it, baby! C’mon, move with me!”

He sniggered and then started to laugh, grinning widely as Stiles pulled him deeper towards the stage, among the press of sweaty flesh and flailing limbs. “Alright.” Liam closed his eyes as the sudden barrage of scents threatened to overwhelm him, but concentrated on the one right in front of him, the one he still smelt faintly on his skin; he opened his eyes, smiling at Stiles. “Yeah, ok.”

Stiles grinned, one hand still punching the air in time to the beat while the other pulled Liam in close and together they started jumping in unison, losing themselves to the pounding beat of the music, the lasers and strobes flashing across their faces and bodies. He grunted, stumbling slightly as two security men pushed past him, one holding out his hand in apology. Stiles nodded and moistened his dry lips.

Liam noticed, and stepped in, mouth brushing Stiles’ ear. “I’m gonna get a drink, ok?”

“Uh, yeah, uh huh.”

The werewolf frowned, realizing that Stiles couldn’t hear him, and instead stepped back, making a drinking gesture with his hands. His boyfriend grinned and gave him the thumbs up, cheering loudly as a favorite of his was blasted out of the nearby speakers.

“YEAH!”

Liam laughed to himself and pushed back through the crowd. _Oh, Stiles!_

 

“So, uh, you must work out a lot, right?”

Liam smirked as he overheard Mason’s flirtatious line, and seeing the man’s attention was diverted, quickly grabbed two of the full cups from his table. He froze when he realized Scott was watching him. The Alpha just shrugged, and Liam grinned, hurrying back towards Stiles. His boyfriend had moved out of the crowd, lingering at the edges but seemingly dancing to his own tune. “Hey! Stiles!” Liam handed him a cup, and clinked his own against it.

"Coke, right?" Stiles said.

"Uh, yeah, kinda."

They took a drink, Stiles gasping as vodka burned his throat. “Fuck! What is this, paint stripper?!”

“Yup,” Liam grunted, eyes watering. “The cheap stuff, right?”

“Like you would know!” Stiles retorted, draining his cup in one long swallow. “But, damn am I gonna get hammered tonight!”

Liam laughed at him, and took another sip, pulling a face. “Eh…”

Stiles moved forward, his lips touching the werewolf’s ear, vodka heavy on his breath. "You know you can't get drunk, right?"

"What?"

"Your body heals itself too fast!"

Liam glared at him and then at the cup. “Well, shit.” He made to tip it out, but blinked in surprise when Stiles dropped to his knees under the cup, catching the first few drops. 

“Keep going!” 

“Ok,” The Freshman laughed and continued to pour, slowing the flow slightly when Stiles winced. He finished, shaking the last few drops into his boyfriend's mouth, “You’re crazy!”

“Yeah, but, now I can do things like _this_!” Stiles proclaimed as he stood up suddenly, pulling Liam into his body, their lips crashing together, a burning taste on his tongue. 

“Mmh.” Liam groaned, surrendering to the kiss, his cock rock hard as Stiles’ tongue flicked along his own, “Oh, ah!” He gripped Stiles’ waist as the Junior pulled his shirt up roughly, fingers sliding across his sweat-streaked skin, sending shivers down his spine to his ass when his boyfriend caressed his abs and tweaked eager nipples. Liam moaned into Stiles’ mouth, pressing himself against his boyfriend, even as the older teenager leaned back against a tree. He groaned at the loss of contact when Stiles pulled the jersey off, but was instantly reconnected. Liam felt the cool night air on his bare skin, his cock a throbbing bulge in his pants as Stiles’ hands made their way down his back to his waist. The music was pounding, louder than before, as though it was inside his head, but Liam didn’t care. He didn’t care that everyone could see them; the team, Coach, Mason, Scott, nothing else mattered but Stiles’ lips against his skin, kissing a trail along his jaw and towards his neck, just the right level of passion and aggression to make him thrust against the Junior, his own hands already under Stiles’ jersey, sneaking towards his belt buckle.

They finally broke apart minutes later, both shirtless, lips stinging, and both their faces flushed. Liam half-smiled at him, "You want another?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t really have as much time to give to writing at the moment, as I am currently abroad, but I’m hoping to update this story 2-3 times a week. This chapter is a lot more “fun” than anything else, especially considering what’s going to happen to them shortly!
> 
> Ok, so, there’s probably some questions about that part at the end. Essentially, Stiles gets really drunk really quickly, he’s already horned up from earlier with Liam, and he gives into his passion. Stiles parties hard!


	38. The Misfortune of Drunken Werewolves

Lasers cut through the air, a rainbow of colors dancing across their faces and bodies as the strobes flashed and the beat dropped into another hard-hitting bass. Liam and Stiles were still dancing, still shirtless, holding each other close and grinding with the music, not caring who saw them. It was hot among the revellers, air steaming in the unseasonably warm night, sweat heavy on Liam’s nostrils as he breathed in, but he still found it easy to pull Stiles’ scent from among all the others. He pulled his boyfriend closer every time the music spiralled upwards in preparation for the drop. Liam had grabbed two more cups and a mixed Coke bottle for them after snagging the keys to his Jeep when Stiles agreed not to drive. The werewolf knew he couldn't get drunk, but he was beginning to enjoy the burn of the alcohol against his throat, and felt the same sensations as the other times he tried it; light-headed, impulsive, grabbing at Stiles to kiss him hard, the music rushing through him, smiling as he caught his boyfriend’s eyes; happy and carefree for once.

Liam turned, feeling the eyes of another on him. But it was only Scott, and he grinned at Stiles, holding up his hands. “I’ll be right back.”

“Ok!”

The werewolf pushed his way through the sweaty dancers, the music reaching a new height. He blinked, feeling his vision slide sideways into blurry queasiness. The Beta shook his eyes clear and looked at Scott. "Hey!"

"Hey, you alright? Having a good time, I see."

“Yeah, you wanna join us?”

“Um,” Scott looked over his shoulder at Stiles and quickly shook his head. “No, I’m fine.”

“Oh.” He paused, frowning, "Are we doing something wrong?"

"Just be careful with Stiles," Scott warned him, “He can get pretty out of control when he's drunk."

"I'll mind him!" Liam flushed, "Err, I mean I'll look out for him."

"I figured you would." The Alpha smiled, eyes darting to the bottle in Liam's hand. "Are you sharing that with him?"

"Uh huh."

"You know it doesn't-"

"I know!" Liam broke in, shrugging him off, suddenly glaring at him, uncontrollable anger making his fists clench. "Stiles told me! Stiles tells me everything, you couldn't even tell me I was a werewolf properly!"

“Err…” Scott blinked, surprised at his sudden outburst, “Hey, Liam! Wait!” He followed the Beta, reaching out to grab his arm when the werewolf staggered away from him, walking as though he was...drunk. The Alpha frowned, confused, glancing up as Stiles wandered over to them, still shirtless, jersey tucked into the waistband of his pants, skin slick with sweat. “Stop moving, Liam.”

"Wha, what's gonna onn?" Stiles said, slurring his words together, hands out to grasp both of the werewolves' shoulders. Liam was grinning at him as he pulled out of Scott’s grip. He staggered around the grassy area next to the table, bumping into him, and then suddenly hugged Stiles tight, head pressed against his chest, face rubbing along his sweaty abs. 

“Oh god…” Scott muttered, turning red.

"Uh, pu- uh, Liam?" Stiles managed, almost forgetting Scott was there as he blinked, hands on his boyfriend's shoulders. “Not that I don’t like this, but maybe not in public!” He laughed, but Liam kept his arms tight around his back.

Scott was frowning, "He's drunk."

"What? But he can't be."

"This is...there's something wrong!" Scott called out as he looked across the quad to see Malia staggering around too. His eyes connected with Stiles. "Assassins? The Deadpool?"

"Shit." The teenager sobered up quickly, looking around suspiciously. He grunted and pulled Liam up into a proper hug, letting the Freshman rest his face into the crook of his neck. “Ok, better. Wait, what are you-”

“Mmh, this water tastes fun, fu, funny!” Liam muttered drunkenly as he stuck his tongue out to lick the side of Stiles’ neck.

"Liam, stop it." He tried to shake the Freshman, but Liam just giggled in response. “Oh my god, stop!”

"I love you Ssstilesss, like, like, like this much!" He threw his arms open wide, and fell onto his ass. "Ow."

Scott shared another look with Stiles, but shook his head when the teenager went to help Liam up, "No, Stiles, leave him, he's probably safer there."

“Err, I don’t think so.” Stiles pulled Liam back up, as the werewolf made to crawl off. “Ok, come on! You’re leaning against me, that’s all. Alright, Scott, what now?”

 

Stiles pulled Liam closer, hand around his waist as the drunken werewolf sagged in his grip and tried to move forward and back, stumbling as he looked unfocused at the ground. He grunted and glanced at his boyfriend. “Hey, Liam, c’mon, keep it together. Scott is going to find out what’s going on. I need you-”

“You’re really hawt, you know?!” Liam slurred drunkenly at him, hands rubbing along Stiles’ naked chest. He giggled when the older teenager brushed his hands away. “Like, really, really, hehe, really hot!”

“Err, yeah, thanks.” Stiles frowned at him, glancing up as Mason wandered over to them, his jaw slackening slightly as he saw Liam’s drunken state. “Oh, great, hey Mason, can you, ugh, Liam!” Stiles groaned as the werewolf threw up on the grass, patting his back and using the edge of Liam's lacrosse jersey to wipe his mouth. "Gross."

Mason looked at him, worry etched into his brow. “Err, what’s wrong with him? Did someone spike his drink?”

“Uh, yeah!” Stiles nodded furiously, “So, um, don’t drink anything else.”

“Ok. What do we do?”

"I am going to find Scott, he might be affected, I mean, he might have drunk what Liam did." Stiles corrected himself hurriedly and nodded at Mason as he pulled his own jersey back on. "Can you look after him for me? Just stay here, ok? Right here." Stiles glared at him intensely until Mason nodded.

"Whatever you say."

"And I'm sorry if he throws up on you."

"Wouldn't be the first time." Mason grumbled as Liam sat down on the grass again.

Stiles crouched in front of him. "Liam?"

"Ssssstilessss! Hehe, your name's funny!"

"Uh, yeah, look, I'll be right back, ok?"

"What? No!" Liam shook his head furiously before suddenly stopping. "Um, don't feel so good..."

"Err, good luck, Mason!" Stiles flashed a sudden grin at him and took off through the crowd, trying to find Scott. 

 

The Team Captain was surprisingly easy to find since he didn't have the jersey on. It might also have been the fact he was hunched over, dry heaving near the speaker system. Stiles grabbed Malia as she threatened to fall and instead let her sit gently on the grass. "Woah, woah, ok, down we go." He turned to the Alpha, "Scott, what the hell is going on?" Stiles grabbed the hip flask from Malia’s outstretched hands and took a sniff, handing it to Scott. "It smells like vodka, right? Is there anything else in there?"

Scott frowned, sniffed, but shrugged, his eyes falling on a security guard watching them a little too closely. "Err..."

"Scott? C'mon, what do we do here?" 

"Take her back to Liam and Mason, I'll, uh, I'll be right there."

Stiles stared at him as he ran over to the water stand. "Oh, I think we're a little past rapid rehydration, Scott!" He grumbled, but helped Malia up and returned to his boyfriend. "See, there we go, just sit down and-"

“Everything’s spinning!” Malia shouted at him over the thud of the music.

“Yeah, err, I guess you’ve never been drunk before.” Stiles half-smiled, trying to remain calm as he glanced over at Liam, frowning suddenly, “Hang on, Malia.”

"Stiles?" Liam moaned, eyes closed. "I feel sick. Mason went for Coach..."

"Damnit, I told him to wait there!" Stiles dropped to one knee, checking Liam's forehead, speaking without thinking, "It's gonna be ok, pup, I'm gonna find a way to help you!" He paused, glancing at Malia but she was swaying gently from side to side in time to the pounding beat. “Uh, ok, it’s ok.” Stiles felt Liam grasp his hand and squeezed back. “We’re just gonna wait here for a moment.” He looked up as Scott returned, pushing the water bottle into Malia's hand. 

"Drink it!" He wandered over to Stiles a little unsteadily. "Stiles! How much did he have to drink?"

"Not that much, besides, he's...one of you!" He hissed, brows arching as Scott began to stagger, slurring his words.

"We need ta, neeed a..."

"How much have you had?"

"N, n, none!" The Alpha protested, reaching out a hand to steady himself on the table.

"Shit." Stiles cursed, looking around at the drunk werewolves. "What the hell am I supposed to do? Woah!" He eased Scott down onto the bench, before his best friend could slump over. "Scott? Hey, c’mon, look at me. Tell me what to do?"

“Err, I didn’t have anything to drink…” The Alpha looked around, eyes narrowing on the DJ. "Wait, every time he, twists, it’s…it's not the drinks, it's the music!" He tried to stand, pushing away Stiles’ hands. “I need to, it’s over-”

“Scott!” Stiles stared at him, watching him lurch in the opposite direction from the DJ. "What are you doing? You can barely see straight! Look, just stay here with Liam and Malia, and I'll deal with it!" He looked around for a weapon as Scott pointed accusingly at a trash can.

"You can't tell meh wha, wha, what ta do, Stilesh!"

"Err, right." Stiles grabbed a discarded lacrosse stick and shook his head, as Scott continued to argue with inanimate objects. _Stiles Stilinski to the rescue again, eh? Alright, let’s do this!_ He charged forward determinedly, pushing past dancers and the other members of the lacrosse team, glancing back at one of their girlfriends as he shoved her to one side. “Sorry, Rachel, it’s-Ooof!” Stiles looked back in time to run right into the outstretched elbow of a security guard. He groaned, pain crashing across his face, as blood flooded from his nose.

"Oh, my bad." The man said gruffly. “Here, let me help you.”

Stiles struggled in his grip, eyes watering, feeling the man rip the lacrosse stick from his hand and toss it to one side. “Let me go!” He shouted thickly, but the security guard pushed him through the doors of the school and threw him hard against the metal lockers, cracking his head, Stiles’ world going dark.

 

Liam blinked confusedly as rough hands pulled him off the ground, their scents were all wrong, but he could see Scott and Malia next to him, they were also being dragged away. He tried to get his muddled brain in gear, feeling that he was meant to do something, to find… _Stiles!_ Liam growled in his throat, twisting feebly in the men’s grips, but he wasn’t strong enough. The werewolf smelt the change in air, _Inside, school, wait, Stiles…I can smell him nearby, fresh, here._ He grunted as he was thrown down onto the hard floor, his palms stinging from the impact.

“Liam?” Stiles called out to him, hand touching his arm. The werewolf felt everything slot back into place, but his reactions were still too slow. “Argh!” Stiles glared at the man who kicked him away from his boyfriend. “Fuck you!”

"You aren't on the list."

"So, you gonna let me go?" Stiles cracked a grin, despite the ache across his face and arm.

"No loose ends, I'm afraid, even if you're not worth anything."

Stiles' eyes flicked down to the red tank at his side, liquid sloshing within. A sinking feeling entered his stomach. "What's that?"

“It's gasoline, Hank says we gotta burn them, and now you too.” The man grinned mirthlessly and started pouring the gas over the teenagers.

Stiles closed his mouth and averted his eyes as it splashed across his clothes and skin. He glanced at Scott, propped on his other side. “Hey.”

“Stiles, shit.”

“Well at least you’re not slurring.” He glared at the assassin as he shook the last drops from the tank over Malia. “Tell me you got a plan, right?”

“You’re always the one with the plan, Stiles!” Scott grunted, trying to call on his abilities. “It’s no use, with the music still going on, I’ll never-”

“Ok.” Stiles grinned suddenly, whispering, “That’s our plan!”

“What?”

“Hey, ugly!” The teenager called out, easy grin slipping back onto his face. “They’re werewolves, they can’t move, but I can.” He rose to his feet, bringing his hands up into a fighting stance. “And I’m not letting you burn my friends alive!”

_Stiles! Don’t!_ Liam tried to reach out and stop his boyfriend, but was unable to so much as move a finger without his head exploding in agony.

“Heh,” The assassin leered at Stiles, "You don't even have a weapon anymore, boy, and even if you did take me down, your friends aren't going anywhere. There's plenty more of us than there are of you!"

“Yargh!” Stiles lunged forward with a shout, catching the man off guard and grabbing onto the front of his shirt. He used their momentum to pull the assassin back into the puddle of gasoline and slammed the palm of his hand into his chest, grinning suddenly when the security guard fell backwards onto the floor. “Ha!”

“Gah!” The assassin snarled at him, reaching to pull out a lighter. 

Stiles’ quick eyes spotted it and he curled his hand into a fist and punched hard, crying out as his knuckles cracked. "Ah!" He grabbed the lighter, stuffing it into his pocket and scrambled to his feet, pausing only to deal a brutal kick between the assassin’s legs as he tried to follow him. “Nope! Ok, guys, wait here!” Stiles called unnecessarily to his friends, as he ran out the door, skidding on the loose gravel, hearing the angry roar of the heavyset man charging after him. “Run, Stiles! Run! Get to the stage, go around the back!” He muttered to himself, dodging the other security guards.

He spotted the generator beside the DJ’s platform, looking between the two. “Ok, that must be it.” Stiles rushed forward, jumping the metal barrier surrounding the stage and gripped the power cable hard, tugging it from the connector. The music died suddenly, lights flickering off. “Yes!” Stiles cried out triumphantly as the rest of the party-goers booed and hissed at the DJ. “Haha, you just wait until my Dad gets here!” He looked over to where they had been sitting, a smirk pulling at his lips as he saw Mason with Finstock, the Coach gesturing wildly as he obviously gave out to everyone in his immediate radius. “Yeah, I think we’ve managed to beat last year’s debacle.” Just as relief beginning to flood through him, Stiles was tackled from behind, the assassin punching him hard in the head. “Agh!” He tried to curl into a ball as he saw several pairs of shoes surround him; the rest of the assassin security guards. 

“Hey!” There was a loud shout from behind him, accompanied by three equally fearsome roars. “RAWRRR!” Scott charged headlong into them, shouldering the lead assassin to the ground as Malia chased the other three away. 

“Stiles!” Liam darted towards his boyfriend, pulling him out of his protective stance. “Hey Stiles, c’mon, it’s alright.”

Stiles sat up, grabbing his arm. “Oh, phew, you’re ok.”

“Yeah.” The werewolf straightened up, glaring at the man who had attacked Stiles. “Grrr!” He lunged forward pinning the assassin to the ground, yellow eyes boring into him, claws raised as he prepared to strike, anger and fear rushing through him in a blood-red torrent.

“Liam, stop!” Scott called out, red eyes flashing in the darkness, but the Beta ignored him. “Stiles? Do something!”

“Liam, no!” Stiles got to his feet quickly, running over to his boyfriend as he hesitated. “Liam, don’t do this. I don’t want to see blue eyes when I look at you.” He reached out, hand landing on the werewolf’s shoulder. “He’s not worth it.”

“He hurt you!” Liam snarled, but let his claws vanish, curling his hand into a fist instead, punching the man hard, hearing his nose break under his knuckles. “Hmph.” The werewolf stood up, breathing heavily, and pulled Stiles into a crushing hug.

“Yeah, ok,” Stiles gasped, “Need to breathe!”

“Sorry.” Liam muttered, releasing him slightly, but keeping his arms wrapped around Stiles protectively. “Can we go home now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a while to write, primarily due to some issues I had with Mason’s character. As I begun to write the chapter, it became increasingly obvious that the focus was shifting away from a Stiles/Liam story, and more into some sort of Stiles/Liam/Mason love triangle. That’s not what I want from this story. 
> 
>  
> 
> So, in order to “expunge” those thoughts and feelings, I’ve written an alternative to this chapter, posted as a second part to this story for convenience: _Lacrosse Bonfires & Drunken Werewolves_. You can find it here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11590335
> 
> It is essentially a PWP story, with explicit sexual activity between Stiles, Liam, and Mason. There is no plot development, and it has no bearing on this story, although I did find it extremely hot to write and imagine!


	39. Hungover

“Yeah, thanks, Dad.” Stiles ended the call and returned to the living room, glancing around as Scott, Malia, and Liam looked expectantly at him. “He’s arrested the assassins, DJ too, another group taken out!” He grinned and added, “By Stiles Stilinski, master assassin capturer…person…thing. Shut up.” 

“Hehe,” Liam sniggered at him as Stiles frowned, sitting beside him. The heat from their showers had burned away the smell of gasoline and he felt sleepy, eyes drooping. “I forgot to say thanks, Stiles.”

“Oh, yeah, thanks, dude.” Scott spoke up, looking at him seriously. “If you hadn’t been there…”

“C’mon guys, it’s what we do.” Stiles brushed off the praise, but his scent thrummed with happiness and Liam leant into him more. The teenager nodded at Scott. “Where’s Kira? Is she not back yet?”

“No, her Mom’s pretty weak still.” Scott sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair. He groaned suddenly. “I’d forgotten what it was like to have a hangover, ugh.”

“What? Really?” Stiles grinned at them. “So, it’s like you guys are actually drunk?”

“Not anymore, but the headache, feeling sick, all of it is just like I remember.” Scott sighed, sliding down lower into the couch. “Ugh.”

“This is what drinking does to humans?” Malia stared at Stiles disbelievingly, “Why would you do this to yourselves?”

“Err, it’s fun, tastes good at the time, gives you courage to do crazy shit?” He laughed, glancing at his boyfriend, “No complaints from you?”

“Mmmh, the room’s stopped spinning.” Liam grunted, rubbing his stomach, “Just feel sick, like Scott said, but I always used to get sick after drinking vodka so-”

“Ugh, hang on, _always_?” Stiles smirked, trying to suppress his laugh when Liam glared at him. “It’s just, err, you know what, never mind.” He changed his mind about teasing the werewolf and instead wrapped an arm around him, pulling Liam closer. “Better?”

“I guess.”

“Hmm.” Stiles frowned, looking over at Scott, “Hey, you got any ice cream?”

“I think there’s some in the freezer.” He replied, confused. “Why?”

“It always cures an upset tummy after drinking.” The teenager said knowledgably, standing up, “I’ll go get some, maybe it’ll jump-start the healing process!”

 

Liam blinked tiredly, Stiles’ idea had worked and his stomach settled enough for him to fall asleep, head on his boyfriend’s lap, a comforting arm around his shoulders. The werewolf looked around, the seat still warm from where Stiles had been sitting. He glanced over, seeing Scott had gone too. “Guys?”

“Oh, you’re awake!” Stiles returned to the living room from the kitchen.

“Where were you?”

“Kitchen, just needed to talk a few things out with Scott; deadpool, assassins, that sort of thing.” He dismissed it with a wave of his hand. “Plus, Lydia called me, said she wants to come and talk about her grandmother’s connection to the deadpool.”

“Stiles?”

“What?”

“You said your Dad arrested those guys, right?” Liam frowned at him, standing up to stretch. “I didn’t think he was out of the hospital yet?”

“Hah, you don’t know my father.” Stiles grinned and shook his head, “He says it’s _only_ a bullet wound and they’ve already patched him up. Plus, I don’t think he wanted to stay there any longer than he absolutely had to.”

“Because of the cost?” The werewolf spoke impulsively. “Err, wait-”

“Yeah, that’s why.” His boyfriend smiled sadly. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.” He hung his head. _Stupid!_

“Hey, it’s alright Liam.” Stiles rested both hands on his shoulders. “My Dad and I will figure it out, you have enough to worry about with the assassins, and the deadpool, and Mason’s questions, without adding my crap on top. Huh? C’mon, pup-”

“Stiles!” The werewolf glared at him, looking pointed to the other couch. “Malia’s right there!”

“Mhh, she’s asleep.” Stiles glanced at her and grinned, “And Scott’s on the phone with Kira, so no supernatural ears are gonna hear me call my super-cute boyfriend by his special name, eh, pup?”

“Err, fine.” Liam pouted until Stiles kissed him and then he smiled, “Alright, alright, ok. What time is it anyway?”

“Just after five, you slept for a few hours.” He checked his phone, glancing back at Liam. “Do you want me to drop you home?”

“No, it’s fine, I told my parents that I’d be staying with my friends.”

“Not your boyfriend?”

“Well, I didn’t want to have to suffer another awkward, you know,” He flushed, avoiding Stiles’ eyes. “ _Education_ lesson from my step-Dad.”

“Haha,” The teenager laughed, “Ok, you need more than one reminder?”

“No.”

“You’re not seeing someone else on the side, are you pup?”

“Of course not!” Liam indignantly punched Stiles’ arm, careful not to hurt him. “Can we just, you know, sit down and stuff?”

“Sure.” Stiles smiled at him, taking his seat again, arms open welcomingly, as Liam sat beside him, lifting his socked feet onto the end of the couch. He rested his head against Stiles’ shoulder, his boyfriend’s arm around him, scent already comforting, lulling him back to sleep, eyes heavy. 

“Thanks.” He muttered, hand slipping into Stiles’, their link secured.

“No problem, pup.” Stiles whispered back, his other hand gently caressing the back of Liam’s neck.

 

Stiles woke up as morning sunlight streamed through the open curtains and onto his face. He blinked, untangling a hand from Liam to block the light from his eyes. “Ugh, why do I feel worse _now_?”

“Because you drank way too much, way too fast?”

He started as Melissa appeared in the doorway, “Err, I…um…”

“I have a nose, Stiles.” She shook her head. “I’m not surprised since it was the Lacrosse Bonfire, I just don’t get why _they_ smell like a brewery too.” Melissa gestured at Scott, Malia, and Liam, the two werewolves snoring loudly, while the were-coyote’s head was rolled back, mouth open. “Why were they drinking when it can’t affect them?”

“You know about that? Uh, how they can’t get drunk?”

“Well, no one actually told me.” The nurse looked at him pointedly, before sighing and continuing on. “Fine, I suppose it’s better I don’t know. I just expected that their advanced healing prevents it?”

“That’s right.” Stiles nodded, and then groaned, feeling sorry for himself. “Err, we ate all your ice cream.” 

“Great, well at least I don’t have to worry about it melting.”

“Oh, you’re welcome!” He staggered upright, pushing his boyfriend off carefully. “Ugh, that wasn’t vodka last night, that was paint stripper, agh, ow.”

“Huh.” Melissa regarded him for a moment, before gesturing for him to follow. “Might as well put on the coffee. You have a good time other than drinking too much?”

“Err, yeah, I guess you could call it that.” Stiles held her gaze for a moment, before nodding. “So, has Scott told you about the deadpool?”

“The what?”

“That would be a no, huh?” Stiles kicked himself. _Shit!_ “Um, it’s a…pool of death, very, um, rare, in, the, uh…forest.”

“Right.” She stared at him. “How much did you have to drink?”

 

Liam’s nose wrinkled as the scent of fresh coffee wafted towards him, coming closer. The werewolf opened his eyes to see Stiles returning to him with two cups, Scott and Malia already sipping theirs. “Oh, thanks. I take-”

“Two sugars, no milk, I remember.” Stiles grinned at him and pressed the hot cup into his hands. “Tell me you’re feeling better?”

“Back to myself.” Liam nodded. “But you’re not. I can…smell it.”

“Yeah, when we get home, I’ll just go to bed.” He laughed quietly, looking over at his friends. “You guys alright?”

“Yeah.” Scott nodded.

“I suppose.” Malia frowned, looking at Liam, and then turned to Scott. “What’s a pup?” 

Liam choked on his coffee and Stiles hit his back enthusiastically, face going blank. “You’re ok! He’s ok!”

“Oh, it means puppy, like a baby or young dog.” The Alpha explained after a moment, staring at them. “Why?”

“No reason.” Malia smirked at Stiles. “I just heard it recently.”

“Really?” Stiles managed, his ears burning as Liam glared at him. “Well, you know, it’s really late, so-”

“It’s only eight o’clock.” Scott frowned. “In the morning.”

“It’s night-time somewhere!” The teenager replied quickly, pulling Liam up with him. “And Lydia is going to come over and, I really, we, uh, we’re, err, going, as in right now, right this uh…” Stiles took the cup from his boyfriend’s hands and pushed him towards the front door. “I’ll text you later!”

Scott opened his mouth but closed it abruptly once the door slammed behind his best friend. “That was weird. Does he…Do you know what that was about?”

“Not a clue.” Malia replied innocently, smirk still playing around her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, short chapter today, setting up a new plot point, plus I’m not feeling particularly well. 
> 
> I wanted to have a bit of a fluffy chapter as the next few will be focused on the Deadpool plotline, with some significant canon divergence involving the identity of the Benefactor.


	40. Fallout

Stiles turned the corner carefully, feeling Liam’s glare on him, but deliberately avoided looking at his boyfriend, even as his cheeks began to heat. “So, do you want me to drop you-”

“Stiles.” Liam growled at him. “You’re not just going to ignore what happened back there. Malia knows!”

“Yeah,” He managed after another uncomfortable minute. Stiles moistened his lips and darted a quick look at Liam. The werewolf was still glaring at him, lips pulled into a pout, forehead drawn and brows furrowed. “Err…”

“Stiles,” Liam sniffed the air and huffed. “You can’t distract me with sex, I’m angry at you.”

“It’s not my fault you’re so damn cute when you’re angry!”

“Malia is gonna tell everyone. My life is over.” He slumped back in the seat, groaning. “I can’t believe I let you call me that in the first place.”

“Aw, c’mon, Liam, don’t be like that, I know you like it.” Stiles slowed down so he could put a hand on his shoulder, but Liam shrugged him off. “Ok, um, but seriously, do you want me to drop you home?”

The werewolf chewed his lip, _Crap, now he’s smelling so sad. Way to fuck everything up, Liam._ “Err, no, I don’t want to go home.”

“So, do you want me to bring you somewhere else?” Stiles frowned, confused as he stopped at a junction. “Hey, c’mon, pu-err, Liam, talk to me.”

“I am talking to you.” He replied sharply, but shook his head, “Let’s just go home, your house.”

“Fine.” Stiles said shortly and turned left. They drove in silence until he pulled into the driveway, Liam didn’t even look at him as he opened the door and let him into the house. The werewolf walked past him to the stairs as Stiles headed towards the kitchen. “Hey, um, Liam do you want-”

“I’m fine.”

“Ok, I’ll get some water and come join you.”

“Whatever.” He grunted, the word barely audible. Liam opened Stiles’ bedroom door and sat moodily on the bed. The werewolf could hear him walking around downstairs, the gurgle of water as it filled a glass, the clink of a second glass joining the first. He closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of Stiles, as concentrated here as if he was with the teenager himself. Liam lay back on the bed and crawled his way up the covers until he was resting against the pillows. He reached out a hand and brought one of them into a vertical position, hugging it and breathing in the scent of Stiles on the fabric. _Mmh, restful, peaceful, not angry-with-me-Stiles. Not sad-Stiles. Fuck, I’ve messed it up…_

 

Stiles pushed open the door with his foot and entered slowly, careful not to spill any of the water. “Hey, Liam, I got you something to drink.” He placed the glass down on the table beside the bed, looking at the werewolf, his eyes closed. “Liam.” There was no answer, the werewolf even appearing to snore, but Stiles smirked at him. “Liam, I know you’re awake.”

Liam sighed, eyes flicking open and stared at him. “How?”

“What?”

“How did you know I was awake? I use that on my parents all the time, and even Mason, and none of them ever know.” He frowned at Stiles as the older teenager smirked and folded his arms. “Well?”

“I’m guessing because none of them have ever been as close to you as I have.” Stiles replied smugly. “I know what you really look like when you’re asleep; the armor comes down and your face muscles relax, and you go from being the hottest guy in school, to the cutest I’ve ever seen.” He smiled, sitting on the bed beside his boyfriend. Expression returning to neutral, apologetic. “I’m sorry I was careless, Liam, but please, you mean so much to me, don’t-”

“I’m not breaking up with you!” Liam interrupted angrily, shaking his head. “I mean, yeah, it sucks that she knows something that’s meant to be our thing, and you were a little stupid about saying it around people with enhanced hearing.”

“I know,” Stiles hung his head, trying not to let too much emotion enter his voice. “I’m sorry I let you down.”

“Stiles,” Liam sat up, inching towards him, “You saved my life again tonight, like you’ve done every other time since I’ve become a werewolf, I’m not throwing that away over a silly little thing like this. C’mon.” He held his arms wide and grinned as Stiles fell into his embrace, eyes closed, nose pressed against his neck, drinking in his scent as the bitter sorrow drained away, and was replaced by the sweet, perfect smell of happiness. “I don’t know when the right time to say this is, but, fuck it, if you mess up one thing, I’ll mess up another.”

“Keep us in balance, right?” Stiles muttered into Liam’s shoulder. He felt the werewolf tighten his grip.

“Yeah, something like that, but, um.” He took a breath, his heart hammering in his ears, “Here I go anyway, I, err, I love you.” Liam grinned as Stiles’ scent flooded with more happiness, and his boyfriend nuzzled against him.

“I love you too, Liam.” Stiles loosened his grip and moved back enough so they were looking at each other. “Pretty sure I told you that already?”

“You said it, I didn't.” Liam smiled and then shook his head. “I was, I over-reacted, I don’t think Malia’s going to say anything.”

“How do you know?”

“Scott asked her what she meant,” Liam explained as he moved back to his position at the top of the bed. “I could hear her while you fumbled with the keys outside his house. She didn’t say anything.”

“Oh.” Stiles frowned and gestured for him to move. “We’re getting _into_ the bed, remember?”

“Right.” Liam stood up and pulled off his lacrosse shirt. “Do you have…what?” 

“Nothing.” Stiles smiled and shrugged, “Just thinking that you don’t really need a t-shirt to sleep in.”

“Just underwear, right?” The werewolf grinned as he felt his body responding. “I suppose it’ll be pretty hot during the day, huh?”

“Lydia said she wouldn’t be over until six at least.” Stiles returned his smile and stripped off his own clothes. He slipped into the bed as Liam joined him, rolling over so they were facing one another. “Besides, you’re too perfect to be wearing clothes!”

“So, I should just go around naked?”

“Uh, no, I don’t think I could handle my jealousy.” Stiles laughed and made a satisfied noise in his throat as Liam closed the distance between them, and snuggled against his chest, head resting on the pillow, nose touching Stiles’ skin. “Mmh.”

“This ok?”

“Perfect.” Stiles whispered as a comfortable silence enveloped them. After a few minutes, his arms wrapped around Liam’s shoulders, the teenager spoke again. “So, would it be awkward if I keep calling you ‘pup’?”

“Just not in front of anyone _else_ , Stiles.” Liam mumbled, voice sleepy. “I love that pet name, makes me feel like I’m yours…”

“Awesome, pup.”


	41. The Final Key

Stiles looked over Liam’s head as his phone buzzed on the top of his bedside locker. He reached for it, his boyfriend protesting sleepily. “Huh, it’s Lydia. She’s downstairs.”

“Already?” He whined, burrowing his head under the pillow. “Tell her to go away!”

“Err, as much as I’d love to spend the evening cuddling in bed with you,” Stiles threw back the duvet, “We’re close to finding the Benefactor, I can feel it. Well, I mean, I think it’s Lydia’s grandmother, based on what she told me yesterday.” He grinned and grasped Liam’s ankle, yanking him out from his hiding place. “Come on! Go put some clothes on while I get the door.” Stiles said as he pulled on sweat pants and grabbed a t-shirt from the clean pile on his desk, smirking as Liam groaned behind him. There was another loud knock on the door, and the teenager hurried downstairs to open the door. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Lydia replied crisply, taking in Stiles’ flushed face, his hair sticking in all directions, and the back-to-front t-shirt. “Did I disturb you?”

“What? No, I just, we overslept.”

“ _We_?” She arched a brow and then pushed past him, turning to look at Stiles. “This is serious, Stiles, from Scott’s description of last night, the assassins are getting worse, and more numerous. We need to put an end to this.”

“I know.” He climbed the stairs in front of her, pulling his t-shirt the right way around. “That’s why I said to come over, we can compare your new evidence to everything we already know.” 

“Good, because…” Lydia trailed off as Stiles rushed into his bedroom to pull the evidence board out. She stared at Liam, the Freshman sitting on the edge of Stiles’ bed in just his trunks. “Stiles.”

“Hmm? What?” The teenager flicked the lamps attached to the side of Perspex glass. “Lydia, what is it?”

“I said no distractions, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, so?”

She glared at him, catching his eye and then nodded at Liam, the werewolf looking between them with an amused expression. 

“Huh?” Stiles frowned, not understanding. “It’s Liam, so?”

“Can he at least put some _pants_ on?!”

“Oh, right, um.” He smiled at Liam, “Go on, there’s a pair in the closet, second shelf, your size.”

“My size?” Liam asked as he got up and walked over, smirking as Lydia looked away quickly.

“Yeah, I got them for you at the weekend, nothing fancy, but I figured since you’re constantly getting wet, or injured, or just out of them, then-” He stopped talking as Liam reached up to kiss his cheek. Stiles grinned and ruffled his hair affectionately. “You’re welcome.”

“Are we getting started or not?” Lydia looked frostily at them.

“Yeah, ok, um, why don’t you explain from the beginning, we can see if anything jumps out?” Stiles looked abashedly at her as Liam sniggered from within the closet. The older teenager listened as Lydia explained about her grandmother’s first premonition, nodding along until Liam came back out to them, dressed in one of Stiles’ t-shirts, the hem not quite reaching his knees. He stood next to his boyfriend, frowning.

“What’s IBM?”

“Computer manufacturer,” Stiles answered, gesturing grandly. “That was back in the day when computers took up entire rooms.”

“Wow!” Liam grinned at him, slipping his hand into his. “You’re so smart, Stiles!”

“Err, thanks.” He looked at the werewolf strangely, but nodded for Lydia to continue.

Liam zoned out her voice, instead concentrating on filtering her scent out of the air, trying to ignore the familiar comforting scent of Stiles. He wasn’t sure why she put his guard up, but he leaned into his boyfriend whenever the Banshee glanced his way. Liam blinked, looking at Stiles when he realized he had been staring at Lydia too long. “What?”

“I said, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“Well, go and sit on the bed.” Stiles handed him a stack of folders. “This is all the loose evidence we’ve collected. The top folder is what Lydia brought with her, we’re gonna compare everything, so I’m gonna ask you to hand me stuff when I need it, ok?”

“I can do that.” He reluctantly moved away from Stiles and spread the folders out on the bed, sitting cross-legged, waiting, watching them carefully.

 

“I’m telling you, your grandmother is the Benefactor!” Stiles exclaimed, gesturing wildly at the evidence board. “It’s all there! Can’t you see it?”

“Stiles.” Lydia glared at him, exasperated, already irritated that she had to split his time with his younger boyfriend. She turned to look at Liam, seeing him smirk and pass Stiles a photograph. Lydia shook her head. “She’s not the Benefactor. She can’t be.”

“Faked her death, not hard to do.” He replied quickly, pointing at a photocopied page. “Now, you see this part of the code, it’s exactly a match to the code you have.”

“So?”

“So, that clearly demonstrates that they were made by the same person: Lorraine Martin!”

“You’re insane,” Lydia muttered dismissively, eyes darting over to Liam as she heard him growl. The Beta’s eyes lit up yellow and he was glaring at her. “Well, maybe you have a point.” She amended, seeing Liam nod and settle back down on the bed, the glow leaving his eyes. “Stiles?”

“Hmm? What?” Stiles pulled his eyes away from the board, looking at the deadpool pages and comparing them to the ones he and Liam had found several nights before. “Are you ok?”

“Fine.” Lydia replied in a clipped tone. “Have you found any other patterns?”

“I’m not sure,” Stiles reached back to Liam, looking back at the board. "Hand me the photo of Lydia's grandmother and her girlfriend."

Liam darted forward, snatching it up before Lydia could and crawled across the bed to place it in his boyfriend's hand. _Haha!_ “Here you go, Stiles.” He said smugly.

She scowled at him, but Liam was only paying attention to Stiles. “Werewolves…”

"Thanks." The teenager muttered, distracted, not hearing them. He stuck the photo next to the written code and frowned. "Hmm." Stiles turned back to Lydia, "Do you have any idea how we're going to crack this? Even if you know the decryption key, are we gonna have to type the symbols and letters in manually?"

"I'll figure it out." She replied confidently, walking over to his laptop and opening it. "What's your password?"

"Err, pupp-" Stiles started, still distracted until Liam threw a pillow at his head, expression furious. The teenager blinked, and looked at them, Lydia staring at him. "You know what? I'll enter it myself!"

Liam shook his head silently, _Oh my god, is he doing this on purpose?_ He bent over the side of the bed to retrieve the pillow and lay back on the bed, hugging the pillow to his chest, looking up at the ceiling, Stiles’ scent calming his pounding heart.

"Annnnnnd, done!" Stiles finished with a flourish, hitting the return key. Lydia was frowning at him, but he thought he had typed fast enough not to have let her see it. 

 

Half an hour later, Lydia sat back. "I've it set up. Now, we just need a Cypher Key."

"Hmm." Stiles frowned, beginning to pace back and forth, “Ok, well, start off easy, try _Lorraine_.”

“No.”

“Uh, how about _Banshee_ , capital B?”

“No.”

“Err, _Martin44_?”

“Stiles!” Lydia glared at him again, “You are just…I’m getting a drink.” She stood up and Stiles huffed at her as she left the room.

“Fine.” He looked over at Liam, his boyfriend sniggering at him. “Well, you try!”

“Uh huh.”

Stiles glared at the werewolf, and walked over to the bed, looking down at him. “We’ll crack it. I’ll crack it, you’ll see.”

“I did call you smart, didn’t I?” Liam grinned, “Hmm, beginning to regret that now. Hey!” He blinked as his boyfriend grabbed a cushion from the nearby chair and threw it at him. Liam giggled and tossed it back at him, smirking as Stiles seemed defeated, getting surprised when the cushion hit the side of his face. “Grr!”

“Growl away, hot shot, not gonna help you now!” Stiles muttered at him and dived on top of him, Liam grinning at him. The older teen smiled back at him, knowing how much the werewolf enjoyed when they play-fought. He was about to push his hands under Liam’s t-shirt when the sound of a cleared throat stalled him. Liam had frozen, his arm around Stiles’ neck, ready to pull him in for a kiss. 

“Err…”

Lydia stared icily at them. “ _Stiles._ ”

Stiles sighed, face flushed and bowed his head. “Yeah.”

"Really? We're in the middle of finally cracking the identity of the Benefactor, and-"

"I know, I know." Stiles muttered, interrupting. He smirked at Liam, darting in to kiss him on the lips, before climbing off him and returning to laptop. Stiles grinned suddenly as inspiration hit him, and looked at Lydia. "Maddy! Try Maddy. It's gotta be Maddy."

"Doesn't Maddy feel a little obvious as a Cypher Key?"

"Guarantee it's Maddy!" Stiles said confidently, ignoring Liam's laugh. He leaned over Lydia as she typed it in, ignoring the bleeping from his printer, knowing that filling it again would just prompt the deadpool list to be shot out. “Hmm.”

“No.”

"Huh." Stiles frowned as _ERROR_ flashed across the screen. "Uh, your name? She left the code for you, right? So, it's gotta be your name."

Lydia tried it, but got the same result, same for her Mom's. “Nope.”

“Uh, beloved family pets?" 

“Oh my god,” Lydia groaned, “This is gonna take forever.”

“At least we get unlimited tries, right?”

 

“Huh, ok, I’m out of ideas.” Stiles admitted after another twenty minutes. He looked over at the bed, a grin pulling at his lips when he saw that Liam had fallen asleep. _Damn, he’s so cute!_ Stiles turned back to Lydia, “Hang on a minute. The ashes were left for you, the code was left for you, you're supposed to be able to figure this out."

"But no one else is."

“Exactly.” Stiles muttered as the pieces finally clicked into place. "You, only you can, no one else but you."

"Stiles, what are you-"

He raised a hand to silence her protests, "It's all about you, Lydia. We've been focusing on Lorraine, guessing what she might use, but... What do you remember doing with your grandmother?"

"Huh?"

"Like what was your thing? Did you go to the beach? Do you get ice cream? Did you-"

"We read."

"Ok, so, what did you read?"

"The Little Mermaid."

"You read that movie?!" Liam stared at them, frowning as he rubbed his eyes. He got up and stood next to Stiles. “How did you manage that?”

"It was a book first." Lydia replied pointedly. "Hans Christian Anderson."

"Ok, so, type that in!" Stiles grinned at his boyfriend and put an arm around his shoulders, hugging him to his side. “Feel better?”

“Yeah,” Liam nodded as Lydia entered the name.

“Nope. Wrong again!” She declared, glancing up in time to see Liam’s eyes flash yellow. Lydia took a breath, and looked at Stiles. “Perhaps, there is something in that idea. I mean, I was obsessed with that book for three months; needed to read it every night, I wouldn’t even respond to anything other than ‘Ariel,’ for goodness’ sake-” She broke off suddenly and stared at him. “Could it be-”

“Yeah, try it!” Stiles nodded excitedly.

"Grandma thought it was adorable." Lydia muttered, typing it in, the code broken as the symbols resolved into names.


	42. Return to Eichen

Stiles looked at the list, "Do you recognize any of these?"

"Just my grandmother." Lydia replied, pointing. She stiffened as Liam hovered over her other shoulder, releasing the held breath when he moved back to stand beside Stiles. “We need access to a database to cross-reference them.”

“Hmm, that’s gonna be a problem.” Stiles frowned, shaking his head. “I can't get into the police files remotely anymore. My Dad changes the password every week. Gets a different deputy to do it too.” He grumbled darkly, ignoring Liam's surprised expression. "We need to go to the Sheriff's Station."

"Parrish." Lydia sighed, understanding. "Fine."

“Ok, let’s go.” Stiles turned around, grabbing his keys and pulling on a jacket. He put out a hand to stop Liam as he bent to put on his shoes. “Err, where do you think you’re going?”

“With you.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Lydia spoke from beside the door.

“Who asked you?” Liam glared at her, averting his eyes to look mournfully at Stiles, “C’mon, Stiles, _please_.”

“Uh,” He bit his lip, trying to ignore the backflips his stomach was doing as Liam stared at him. _Like I’m going to be able to resist that look._ “Fine, yeah, come on.”

“What?” Lydia stared at him, furious. “Ugh, whatever, let’s just go.”

“Yeah, in a minute.” Stiles grabbed Liam’s arm and waited for her to go downstairs, whispering. “Hey, do you know what’s wrong with her?”

“She’s jealous, at least, I think that’s what it is.” The werewolf frowned, concentrating. “I’m not sure, she kinda smells like how Mason does when he’s around you.”

“Me?”

“Well, both of us.” Liam admitted. His tone hardened as he slipped his hand into Stiles’. “But it doesn’t matter, I’m going with you. I’m keeping you safe!”

“Alright, well, we better go before Lydia gets even angrier.” Stiles smirked at him and led the way downstairs, seeing her waiting for them on the driveway, tapping her foot. He frowned, “You brought your own car? Why didn’t you just go without us?”

“No need for us to bring both cars, Stiles, especially…” Lydia paused, looking at Liam and then back at him, “Especially if we’re all going.”

“Err, ok, whatever, backseat’s clean.” Stiles hid his expression as Lydia huffed and climbed inside, getting into the driver’s seat. “C’mon, Liam.”

 

“Deputy Clark,” Stiles greeted the officer on the front desk as she looked at him questioningly. “Um, is Deputy Parrish available?”

“He’s over there.” She replied gesturing. “Your father’s not here though.”

“Oh?” Stiles nodded as Lydia pushed past him to speak to Parrish. “Where is he?”

“Hill Valley Sheriff’s Department raided a meth lab yesterday, perp has an address in Beacon Hills.”

“He’s meant to be taking it easy.” Stiles muttered, frowning. “Thanks.” He gestured at Liam and they sat down on the bench outside the Sheriff’s office. His boyfriend seemed nervous and was pressing into him more than normal. Stiles glanced at him, offering a small smile. “Hey, you ok?”

“Uh huh.”

“Don’t worry, we’re close to answers, I can feel it.” The teenager reached over and clasped one of Liam’s hands in his own. “We’ll shut down the deadpool and you’ll be safe, everyone will be safe.”

“Right.” The werewolf muttered, avoiding his eyes, but still kept a hold on Stiles. “I think Lydia has something.”

“Huh?” Stiles looked away from him as Lydia beckoned to them furiously. “Ok, let’s go.” They got up and made their way over to Deputy Parrish, the man shuffling uncomfortably as Stiles leaned against his desk. “Hey, Parrish.”

“Stiles, err, I never, I’m sorry about getting your Dad shot.”

"It's fine, accidental gun discharges are common, right?" Stiles replied steadily, repeating the agreed cover story. The Deputy nodded gratefully, and then started to type on his keyboard, glancing at the list Lydia had given him. “You have something for us?”

"Ok, let's see... well, it's not another deadpool, more like an already-dead pool."

"All of them?" Lydia stared at the screen.

He nodded. "All within the last ten years. All suicides, and all at the exact same place."

"Eichen House." Stiles muttered. _Oh crap._

Liam heard the catch in his voice, felt the tremble that raced across his skin for a second before it was gone and squeezed Stiles’ hand reassuringly. 

"We need to go there." Lydia declared resolutely as Stiles gaped at her.

"What?"

"To Eichen House, that's where the answers are, Stiles."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea." Parrish said, looking between them. “In fact, that sounds like a terrible idea. Why don’t you let me investigate a bit further, and see if I can’t come up with anything else? It’s the least I can do after…the accident.”

“Sounds good,” Stiles nodded, glaring at the Banshee. “Lydia? Sidebar. Now.”

She mumbled irritably but moved across the office to an empty desk, as Stiles thanked the Deputy and walked over to her, Liam following him dutifully. The werewolf leaned on the desk on Stiles’ other side, away from her. She looked at Stiles expectantly. “Well?”

"Lydia, Eichen House isn't a library, you need a warrant to get files from there." Stiles whispered, looking around carefully.

"My grandmother left me a list with ten suicides including her own, there's got to be a reason why. Is there anyone there who is willing to help us?"

 _Brunski_. Stiles shifted his gaze as the name popped into his mind. He grimaced and shrugged a cautious maybe. "No, but there might be someone willing to take a bribe."

Liam whined gently in his throat, smelling Stiles' unease. He looked at his boyfriend, “You know, I could just break into Eichen House and steal the files for you, Stiles.” The werewolf swallowed hard as Lydia glared at him, “Both of you?”

“No, Liam, that’s even crazier.” Stiles shook his head, but rubbed Liam’s shoulder affectionately. “I know someone who’ll take the bribe, I just really don’t want to have to face him again.”

 

Stiles parked down the street from the iron gates of Eichen House, looking at the grim building as dread crept into his stomach. He could feel Liam watching him in concern, but the teenager summoned his courage and got out of the Jeep. “Let’s go.”

“It’s fine, Siles,” Lydia said, seeing his expression. “I can go alone.”

“Err, no, I’m coming with you, I know Brunski, he won’t talk to you.”

“I’m coming too!” Liam got out and hurried after him, skidding to a stop as Stiles turned around suddenly.

“Not this time, I’m not bringing you in there.” He shook his head, glancing at Lydia. “Can you give us a minute, visiting hours aren’t over yet, I’ll be right with you.”

“Stiles, I wanna go with you!” Liam pleaded once Lydia had left earshot, “You need me, I can smell how upset you are.”

“I don’t like Eichen House, I hate it, I hate the memories I have of this place. There’s something not right about it.” Stiles shivered. “That’s why I’m going in alone, we get the information and we come back out. Easy, five minutes. So, stay here.”

“But-”

“No!” Stiles shook his head, and then grinned suddenly as Liam sat on his hood with a pout. “Good pup!”

Liam glowered at him, but waited as Stiles walked away, feeling his stomach clench and claws emerge when the gates buzzed open and his boyfriend disappeared inside. “I got a bad feeling…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter today, but there'll be another on Sunday. I've started writing Part Four of _Building a Better Chimera_ so look out for it in the next few days if you enjoyed reading that story!


	43. It's a Trap!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very short update, but the next chapter has a lot of plot development, and the reveal of the Benefactor, who is not the person you might expect!

Stiles followed Lydia as she finished sweet-talking the orderly on duty into letting them see Brunski. _I’m not sure we look enough alike to pass as his niece and nephew though. Well, I guess that guy wasn’t really listening to Lydia’s words…_ He was beginning to regret asking Liam to wait outside, feeling more and more anxious the deeper they went inside Eichen House. It wasn’t just the screams that echoed around them, or the desperate clawing of patients against their doors, it was the building itself; oppressive, foreboding, a place that had seen enough blood and madness that it infused the very air with dread. He shivered and pressed ahead as Lydia pointed towards Brunski’s office. _Finally!_ Stiles pushed open the door, his relief short-lived as the man looked up in surprise. “Brunski.”

“Stilinski. What the hell are you doing here? Back for a check-up?” He laughed, raking his eyes across Lydia. “Well, what do you want?”

Stiles felt his skin crawl, but didn’t reply, letting Lydia continue to do the talking. The office was dim, and he grimaced as Brunski’s expression twisted from irritation to a smug smirk, the shadows drawing out the lines in his face. 

“We need access to the medical files of ten people.” Lydia finished, glancing at him, before looking back at Brunski, pulling her handbag around to the front. “We know you have access to the records room, and you are…receptive.”

“You could say that,” Brunski laughed suggestively, and leant back in his chair. “And just how much are you offering for this little exchange?"

"Two-fifty." Stiles spoke up.

"A thousand." Brunski demanded.

"A thousand dollars?" Stiles gestured vaguely. "To use one little key to open up one little filing cabinet in one little room, are you out of your mind?"

"When you get the keys, you make the price!" The man grinned.

"Alright," Stiles muttered. _Now would be a great time to have a werewolf, scare Brunski into giving us the keys, and stop acting like a fucking perv…_ He took a breath and then shrugged. "Do you actually think we have that kind of money?"

"I know you don't! If you did, Daddy-Sheriff would have paid the bills by now!"

Stiles gritted his teeth and averted his eyes to the window, frowning slightly as he saw his Jeep parked nearby, no Liam on the hood. But before he could wonder where his boyfriend had gone, Brunski changed track, and looked at Lydia. 

"That's why you're here, right? You've got the cash."

Lydia pursed her lips and then sighed. She opened her purse as Stiles stared at her. "I have five hundred." Lydia threw it on the table as Brunski smirked wider and reached for the key.

_Uh, you carry that much around with you? Damn!_ Stiles blinked and looked away, shaking his head.

"Follow me!" Brunski said after taking a whiff of the money.

_This guy is such a creep, why the hell didn’t I take Liam with me?_ Stiles nodded reluctantly at Lydia and then they followed the man out of his office and deeper into Eichen House.

 

They trailed after Brunski as he strode through the deserted halls of the mental asylum, Stiles wincing every time he heard a scream, looking nervously over his shoulder at every slammed door and the sound of feet running down the hallway. Lydia was glancing at him, and Stiles tried to force himself to calm down, hearing the sound of his blood pounding in his ears. He blinked when she reached over to squeeze his hand reassuringly. “Ok.” He muttered, eyes thanking her as she nodded, together walking a little faster until finally Brunski unlocked the door to the record room. Stiles rushed forward, eager to be away from the wailing that had started to drill its way into his skull. He chewed his nails anxiously as Lydia edged around Brunski, the orderly deliberately standing in the doorway, so she had to press against his body to get past. _Eww._

"We good?" The orderly smirked at them, twirling the keys in one hand.

Stiles released Lydia's hand, willing his heart rate to slow down. He nodded. "Yeah, we can help ourselves." Stiles gestured at Lydia while Brunski stood in the doorway, keeping watch. "Uh, Lydia, you got the list?"

“Yeah, here.” She handed it to him as they moved quickly towards the older filing cabinets, not hearing the door shut behind them.

Stiles shook out the sheet of paper, ignoring the skin-crawling sense of disquiet that hung in the air. “Uh,” He paused, seeing something he hadn't noticed before. "Lydia, why did you add another name on here?"

"I didn't write anything."

"This is your handwriting!"

"Why would I write another name?" She whispered back, bemused.

Stiles frowned and turned back to face her, thrusting the list into her hands. "Why would you write _mine_?"

“I don’t remember…” She stared at it, “Stiles, I don’t know.”

Stiles felt his level of uneasiness rocket to a whole new orbit. _Oh shit..._

"It was the tapes, wasn't it?" Brunski said, suddenly appearing beside them. “Those were cocky, a mistake.”

“Huh?” Stiles frowned, turning quickly, hearing the crackle but unable to react in time. The Taser shot out and he grunted, trying to raise his hands to fight Brunski off, lips struggling to form his boyfriend's name. But darkness took him before he could utter even the first letter.


	44. Secrets of the Dead

Liam paced anxiously outside the gates to Eichen House, glaring at the tall pointed iron railings, hearing the low-level hum of the wires that electrified them. He had tried to get inside by scaling them, ignoring the warning sign only to be shocked backwards, his hands blackened. The skin was healed, but he couldn’t get inside the facility. There was a tension running through his entire body, his stomach lurching every time he thought about Stiles in the place that he so clearly was afraid of. “I should have insisted that I went with them.” Liam muttered to himself, stuffing his hands into his pockets as anxiety prompted his claws to emerge. The werewolf frowned, hearing an engine roaring along the street in his direction. Liam jumped back as the police car screeched to a halt in front of him, the smell of burnt rubber making his nose twitch. The door opened, but it wasn’t the Sheriff. “Err, you’re that Deputy, the one from before?”

“Parrish, yeah.” The man frowned at him. “What are you doing here?”

Liam shook his head, countering with a question of his own. “Doesn’t matter, why did you come?”

“They’ve done something reckless, haven’t they? Stiles and Lydia?” Parrish grumbled, but answered his question. “I was going through the reports on each of those victims of the deadpool Lydia showed me earlier. Then I noticed a pattern.”

“Yeah?” Liam asked uneasily, feeling his breath catch in his throat.

“They were all discovered by the same orderly at Eichen House; Brunski. And that’s really unusual, they all died at different times, during different shifts, no way he should have been at all of them. I was coming here to ask him some questions, maybe rattle the cage a little and see if he gave me enough to take it to the Sheriff.”

“Won’t that take a long time?”

“Few days maybe, we’d get a warrant, search his house, office.” Parrish sighed, “Where are they, Liam?”

“Stiles wouldn’t want me to tell you,” The werewolf dropped his gaze, staring at the pavement. “Well, not unless you take me with you, inside, I mean.”

“What?”

“Something’s wrong!” Liam glared at him, “I can feel it, like something really bad is gonna happen, Stiles is in danger, they both are! But I can’t get over that damn fence, please, you gotta take me with you!”

“I…I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Parrish shook his head, ignoring Liam’s pleading voice and shining eyes. “The Sheriff-”

“Wants his son to live!” The werewolf cut across him dramatically, his eyes glowing yellow, and he pulled out a clawed hand to point at the Deputy. “I’m going in there.”

“Now listen a minute, kid,” The cop gave him what was meant to be a stern glare but was ruined by the smirk Parrish tried to hide. “Uh, you-”

“Wait, shut up.” Liam broke in again, not seeing the surprise on the Deputy’s face. “I hear something, screaming, not like the other voices, it’s…Lydia! It’s Lydia, she needs our help. Uh, that way, that part of the building.” He pointed and Parrish frowned.

“That’s the East Wing. Ok, look, you level with me, and I’ll let you come inside.”

“Fine.” Liam nodded grudgingly. “Stiles didn’t want to do it, but Lydia really wanted to find out more about the people who died in Eichen from the list. So, Stiles said he knew of an orderly who would take a bribe.”

“Brunski.”

“Yeah, I didn’t want him to go in at all, but, but he’s in trouble,” Liam whined, turning to look at the source of the continued screams. “Bad trouble.”

“They probably both are.” Parrish ran a hand over his face, but then nodded resolutely. He approached the front gate, reaching out to touch the intercom button.

"Hey, I tried that already, you won't get in."

"Yeah, but I have something you don't!" He grinned and tapped his badge, pressing the intercom button. "Beacon County Sheriff's Department." The gate buzzed and swung open. Parrish looked down at Liam, and then sighed, "Fine, come on then, if anyone asks, this is a ride along and you got separated from me, ok?"

"Yeah!" Liam nodded furiously and followed the Deputy up the steps, looking like a regular human again, holding onto his fear and anger for when he’d need them.

 

Stiles blinked groggily, his head hurt and there was a buzz saw against his ear. _No, wait, that’s not, ugh, it’s…_ He cleared his throat, pushing his head back towards the iron girder he was tied to. “Hey, um, Lydia, there's a lot of people screaming for help in a place like this, believe me, I don't think anyone is listening." 

She slumped back against the pillar, tears in her eyes. "We have to try."

“I know.” Stiles pulled his arms forward, grunting as the rope dug into his wrists and he stopped. “Hang on a minute, there is something we can try: Liam!”

“What?”

“He was sitting on the hood when we left, and I told him not to move, to stay by my Jeep.”

“Stiles!” Lydia let out an irritated yell. “That doesn’t mean anything! He could have got bored, or gone to get a drink, or-”

“No.” Stiles broke in determinedly. “He wouldn’t, he’d wait, hell he’d probably come even closer to Eichen House. Ok, um, Liam? I hope you can hear me, I need, _we_ , need you. We're tied up, Brunski is crazy, maybe an assassin, I don’t know, hell, maybe even the Benefactor. But you gotta come get us, I'm gonna be calling out to you every fifteen seconds, so get your ears on, and follow my voice." He tried to look back at Lydia, voice rising from a whisper. "We're gonna get outta here."

"Stiles! I don't know if you've noticed, but it was just revealed that all those suicides were murders!" Lydia sounded angrier than before. “ _We_ need to get out of this before Brunski comes back to finish us off and not rely on your half-crazed werewolf boyfriend!”

"That's why she left you the message." Stiles blinked, ignoring her description of Liam.

"She predicted her own death, oh god." Lydia muttered, as the door re-opened. "She knew I'd figure it out."

"Once you were able to predict your own." Brunski finished for her. 

Stiles struggled again, but the restraints were too tight. He moistened his lips, hearing Brunski drop what was in his hands to the ground with a thud. "Liam."

"But they weren't murders!" The orderly declared, “Oh no, I’m not some crazy serial killer like Bundy or the rest of them. I save people! I set them free! All that suffering, all that misery, they don’t want that, they _needed_ me! Don’t you get it? I’m their saviour!”

"No, you're just an angel of death." Stiles said, the pieces finally clicking into place. He stared straight ahead, as the man slid over to him, nostrils wrinkling as he smelt the man’s sweat and unpleasant breath. But Stiles refused to look at him, even as Brunski tried to argue with him. _C’mon, Liam, please have heard me!_

“I have a duty!” Brunski spat in his face. “The people in here aren’t well, but then there are those who really aren’t well, not happy, never going to be happy, so I help them, I give them what they need. There are people here who don't simply need treatment, they need release! I helped them." The man repeated, and for a moment Stiles thought he was about to lash out, but then the orderly moved away. “Now, Lydia, we have a lot to talk about, don’t we? I can help you too, although with all the difficulties you’ve caused me, I might just have to help myself first!”

“Get away from her, you pervert!” Stiles struggled against his restraints, yelling at him. Brunski snarled, and punched him. “Argh!” Stiles could feel something wet sliding down his face, and glared at the man, seeing his ridged ring was stained red. “Fuck you!”

“Shut up!”

Stiles waited until Brunski had moved back to Lydia, hearing the sound of something plasticky being brandished in front of her, before whispering the name of his boyfriend again. "C'mon, Liam!" His eyes widened as a tape began to play, hearing footsteps and then sobbing. _That creep recorded the murders? What the fuck?_ Stiles tried to free himself from the restraints again, succeeding only in the plastic cutting deeper into his wrists. “Lydia! Don’t listen to him, Lydia, just ignore it, just ignore everything he’s-ah!” He was punched again, harder his time, his lip busting open. Stiles grunted, deciding to whisper “Liam” repeatedly, over and over, hoping that his boyfriend could hear him, could save him, as Brunski played the tape in full.

Stiles felt rage flicker through him, replacing the fear inside, as he heard Lorraine’s whispered, final words. “Liam.” Lydia began to cry and Stiles clenched his jaw tight. _We are not gonna die in here! He’s gonna come!_ “Liam.”

“What the hell are you muttering?” Brunski was back in his face, but Stiles stared straight ahead. “I asked you a question, Stiles!”

“Liam!” He grinned suddenly, grunting instead as the orderly hit him again and again. “Liam!” Stiles glared at him, doubled over in pain, his cheek cut open, nose bleeding, lips burst, a nasty gash across his forehead. But he still raised his voice and shouted his boyfriend’s name. “Liam!” 

“Who. Is. That?” Brunski matched each word with a brutal punch. “Tell me!”

“Liam!” Stiles spat out a mouthful of blood to yell the name louder, even as he heard Lydia try and pull Brunski’s attention away from him. “Liam! Liam! LIAM!” The door crashed open suddenly and Brunski turned around with a start.

 

Liam breathed heavily, his senses on maximum, eyes burning bright yellow. He had heard Stiles call his name louder and louder, but his boyfriend’s heart-beat was too high, in distress. The werewolf rushed forward through the shelves, snarling as he took in the sight before him; Lydia and Stiles tied to a girder, a man, the orderly crouching in front of his boyfriend. Liam’s claws itched as he smelt the blood and he threw himself forward, smashing into the man with a feral roar. “RAWRRR!” He picked up the man, digging his claws in deep and tossed him away from Stiles effortlessly.

Stiles blinked, watching Brunski get thrown bodily away from him, colliding heavily with the shelves, the sound of bones breaking with a sharp click echoing around the room. Liam stomped ruthlessly on the man’s knee, a scream piercing the air, and he brandished his claws threateningly, snarling viciously. 

“I’m gonna kill you!”

“Liam,” He struggled to speak, but reached out with his eyes as the werewolf looked back at him. “Hey, leave him, come untie us.”

Liam felt the rage course through him as he surveyed Stiles’ broken and bleeding face. “I’m gonna rip him in half!” His raised his claws and prepared to slash at Brunski’s chest, the anger and fury boiling his blood and casting the entire room in a red haze. “Rawr!”

“No! Don’t, come here…” Stiles’ words cut off suddenly as he heard Liam grunt and fall to the ground. “Liam?”

Brunski limped back to his feet, wrenching the knife from Liam’s back, before shuffling over to Stiles. “Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned!” He fell to his knees, screaming as his knee cap splintered and the bone fragments pushed out through his skin. 

Stiles averted his eyes from the sight, but went still as Brunski’s hand whipped up, the knife now pressing against his throat. _Shit._ His eyes darted towards the door as Deputy Parrish walked inside, his gun raised, chatter spilling over from his radio. _That’s my Dad’s call-sign, he must be on his way!_

"Drop it!"

Stiles shivered as he heard Brunski laugh, looking over as Liam got back on his feet, his hands bloody, but claws at the ready. The Deputy moved in closer, this time pointing his gun directly at the orderly. 

"Drop the knife and put your hands in the air!"

"The young deputy."

"I won't ask you again." Parrish replied calmly.

“You're just a kid,” Brunski taunted Parrish, knife inching closer to Stiles’ neck. "I bet you've never even fired a-" His words were cut off as Parrish shot him in the chest. Brunski collapsed back onto the concrete, knife falling from his hands. The Deputy moved in to free Lydia's hands, while continuing to cover the orderly's unmoving body.

Stiles gasped as Liam dived towards him, cutting his bonds with a quick swipe of his claws and pulling him into his arms. “Ah! Ouch, Liam, be careful.”

“Sorry,” The werewolf muttered, burying his face in the crook of Stiles’ neck, careful to avoid his injured face. His hand moved around to rest on the back of Stiles’ neck. “You’re hurting.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna need the ER for sure.” Stiles mumbled thickly. He gasped as the pain suddenly lessened, “Liam? What are you doing?”

Liam stared at his hands, black veins appearing. “Ah!”

“You’re taking my pain? Wow!” Stiles smiled at him. But the expression slipped off his face as a slow clapping sound reached him. He stood slowly with Liam’s help, looking confusedly at Lydia and Parrish, but they shrugged. 

“Well, well, well,” The voice belonged to a man, no trace of an accent, and a touch of humor to his words. “Looks like the puppy learned a new trick.” The applause stopped.

Stiles grasped Liam’s hand as the man walked around the stacked shelves to face them. He wasn’t as old as Stiles had expected, mid-twenties perhaps, clean-shaven with short dark hair and cold, calculating blue eyes. The man smirked at them, taking his hands out of his long grey woollen coat and gestured at them. “Now this is quite the bounty; three of the top tier of my little deadpool all in one place!”

“ _Your_ deadpool?” Stiles stared at him. “You’re the Benefactor?”


	45. Divergence

“Yes, Stiles, I’m the Benefactor. A pretentious title, I know, but it fit with little Meredith’s plan.” His lips twisted again, and he gestured for the Banshee to emerge from the shadows behind him. “She had all the pieces just waiting there in her mind, floating around in the jumbled mess. It was quite the task to pull everything out and actually make it happen. But here we are.”

“Why are you doing this?” Lydia demanded, glaring first at Meredith and then at the man. “Who are you?”

“You can call me Thomas.” The Benefactor gestured grandly, “As for why I’m doing this…well, I could tell you everything, but I’m afraid there’s just too many of you to take down all at once. And no one has quite figured out how to deal with you, Parrish!” He laughed and turned to Meredith. “The deadpool has been _fun_ , my dear, thank you for that. It has allowed me to net some fine trophies.”

“What is this, a game to you?” Stiles managed, spitting out a mouthful of blood. The pain had lessened, but now his face felt numb and prickly at the same time. “What do you mean _trophies?_ ”

“I mean what I say. I’m a hunter, I keep little reminders of all the things that I’ve killed or that I’ve paid to be killed.” The Benefactor glanced at the door. “I know, I know, you’re wondering why I would even reveal myself to you now, when I didn’t bother to come to the hospital for Scott’s body. A good ruse, by the way, quite impressive. Was that your idea, Stiles?”

“Scott’s.” He grunted, feeling Liam tighten his grip on his arm. “Why are you doing this?”

“I’m sure Meredith will be happy to reveal how she came up with the deadpool, why it was a good idea, she might even tell you how we met.” The Benefactor pushed the Banshee forward, smirking as she looked at him, surprised. “I have enjoyed watching the assassins and the hunters play their games with you, succeeding in killing some interesting pieces for my collection. But the sad fact is that I’m just not getting the right calibre of killer anymore. It’s been very disappointing!”

Stiles looked at Parrish while the man spoke, the Deputy casually tapping his walkie talkie twice. _Yeah, that’s it, keep talking, my Dad is going to take you down!_ He cleared his throat, gagging on the taste in his mouth. “What do you mean?” 

“Guns for hire, thugs, brutes, not at all what I had hoped for! But then, I don’t control who gets the message, not even Meredith managed to do that.” He looked at them, eyes locking onto Stiles’ own. “Like I said, keep her if you want? Shut down the deadpool, stop the assassins from coming. After all, now that I’ve revealed myself, I might as well take out the rest of you with my own two hands. You’ve shown me exactly what to expect, your tactics are predictable.” The Benefactor smiled smugly, watching as Parrish moved closer to him. “Yes, Deputy?”

Parrish pointed his gun pointing at the man’s chest. “You’re under arrest!”

“I said no one knew how to deal with you, Deputy.” Thomas grinned suddenly, white teeth flashing against tan skin. “That doesn’t mean I never came up with some counter-measures. Brunski might have been a dull tool, but at least he followed orders.”

“What?” Stiles gripped Liam’s shoulder, turning as a loud beeping filled the room, and the Benefactor looked pointedly towards the stack of shelves near Brunski’s body. “Bomb?”

“Now that you know who I am, it’s time to get a little more…involved.” Thomas pulled his hands out of his pockets, holding a small controller in his left. He pressed a button. “See you later!”

There was a blinding flash of light and Stiles shut his eyes tight, grabbing Liam and pulling him down onto the ground. He heard the werewolf scream in pain moments before he was deafened, the sound wrenched from the room by a high-pitched whine. “Shit!” Stiles couldn’t hear his own voice, forcing his eyes open in time to see the Benefactor smirk and tap his ear. He tried to get up, but his boyfriend was a prone weight on his legs. Stiles screamed soundlessly as the Benefactor walked out of the room. Parrish was doubled over, the gun on the ground, he tried to look for Lydia, but his eyes widened when he caught sight of a second pulsing red light. There was another flash of burning white light, a lance of pain spearing into his eyeballs before darkness took him.

 

“Stiles? Stiles!” 

Someone was grasping at him roughly, and Stiles inched his eyes open to see Liam standing over him, eyes misty and cheeks flushed. “Huh? Where-”

“Liam! What are you doing? Stop shaking him!”

Stiles turned, the action causing him to grit his teeth in pain, but he managed to move enough to see Lydia on his other side, glaring at the werewolf. The room slid back into focus, but he wasn’t in Eichen House anymore. “Uh…”

“Sorry, I just, he was waking up. He needs to…the Benefactor, err.” Liam muttered, hands on Stiles’ bare arm protectively. “You better get my step-father, and, uh, the Sheriff too, I guess.”

“Fine.” Lydia stood, walking to the edge of Stiles’ blurry vision. “Just be gentle.”

Stiles waited until Lydia had left, looking back at Liam. “What’s going on, pup? Where am I?”

“Hospital, you were hurt really bad.” Liam bowed his head. “Sorry I couldn’t get there sooner. I could hear you calling for me and I tried, but there were all these locked doors and-”

“But you got me, that’s what matters.” Stiles tried to smile, but pain arched across his face and he gave up on the expression, reaching over with his other hand to touch Liam’s hand instead. “I’ll be fine. Everything just hurts.”

“Maybe I could do what I did before?”

“Huh?”

“I took your pain, remember?” He frowned when Stiles shook his head. “Uh, my Dad said you might have some memory loss, only short term though.”

“Crap.” Stiles frowned, gasping as another wave of pain rolled across him. “Argh!”

“I’m gonna try.” Liam said determinedly, putting his hand on Stiles’ neck, looking into his eyes. “Just hang on.”

“Liam, you don’t have to, I-” He stopped speaking as his boyfriend’s eyes glowed and the pain rushed out of his face, the sensation being replaced with numbness and a tingly feeling. Stiles frowned properly when he saw the dark veins travelling down the werewolf’s arms. “Stop, Liam, it’s ok, I’m ok now. Thanks.”

Liam looked at his hand as he took it away from Stiles’ skin, the pain had been intense at first, before lessening and then vanishing as his werewolf healing kicked in. He glanced at Stiles, smiling as his boyfriend’s cheeks regained color and his eyes were brighter than before. “I’m sorry I can’t make you heal faster though.”

Stiles nodded, reaching up to feel the gauze and stiches along his jaw and across his brows. “Is it bad?”

“I still love you!”

“That bad, huh?” He replied dryly, glancing at the door as his father pushed it open, Dr Geyer standing behind him. “Dad?”

“Stiles! You’re awake, what a relief.” He leant over the bed, about to hug his son, when his gaze fell on Liam, the werewolf watching him carefully, and instead opted to squeeze Stiles’ shoulder gently. “Don’t want to hurt you.”

“Right.” Stiles looked at Liam, pushing his fingers into his clenched hand. _Claws? He only loses control like this when he’s stressed. I should get him out of here._ “Hey, um, have you talked to Scott? Told him about the…incident?”

“Um.” Liam glanced at his step-father, standing up as the man gestured for him to leave, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets. “No, I’ll go tell him, about everything. Ok?”

“Yeah. Just come back later.” He waited for his boyfriend to leave, looking at the doctor. “So, how bad is it?”

“You have a mild concussion, numerous cuts and bruises that will heal in a few days, one very deep laceration across your right jaw that will take weeks to heal, but you’re actually very lucky not to have had any fractures. And no missing teeth either, though they got a good rattling.” Dr Geyer looked at the chart. “Your eyesight and hearing have recovered fully too, as far as I can see, and the, um, explosion didn’t cause any damage to anything below your neck.”

“The explosion?” Stiles echoed, shaking his head. “I don’t-”

“That’s right, Stiles,” The Sheriff broke in. “When you, Lydia, and Liam went to confront Brunski, he tricked you into a trap and tried to blow you all up. Don’t you remember, Lydia thought he killed her grandmother?”

“Oh, yeah, of course.”

“Right.” Dr Geyer looked between them. “Sheriff? Can I talk to you outside?”

“Sure.” His Dad looked back at him. “Stiles, you’ll be staying here tonight. We’ll deal with…everything else in the morning.”

“But-”

“Get some rest.”

“Shit.” Stiles muttered as the two men walked out of the room, hearing his father talk about it being a “police matter”. _How the hell are you going to pay for this?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short update today, but there'll be two more chapters this week; one fluffy and the other more plot-focused. We're about three quarters of the way through this story and I'll be going up until the start of season 5 and the arrival of Theo.


	46. A Line of Ash

Liam looked up as Scott approached him, the Alpha’s brows furrowed, scent heavy with concern. “Hey, Scott.”

“How is he?”

“Beaten up.” Liam shrugged. “But my step-father said it could’ve been a lot worse. You got my message?”

“No, Lydia called me.” He pulled out his phone and looked at it. “Shit, sorry, it’s been an insane weekend; first the bonfire, now this.”

“Yeah, but at least everyone is alive!”

Scott nodded silently, gesturing for his Beta to follow him away from Stiles’ room. “Lydia explained about the Benefactor, about how the deadpool is no longer the big problem. You were there, did you notice anything distinctive about him?”

“Um, not really.” Liam frowned, thinking. “He had nice clothes, but nothing flashy, not much of an accent. He was, mid-twenties, kinda hot, I guess, you know, handsome. But he didn’t smell of anything.”

“Nothing?”

“No. He didn’t have a scent.”

“Everything has a scent, Liam!” Scott glared at him, “Maybe you weren’t concentrating enough?”

“Or maybe it was the fact that I had to learn about chemosignals from a human!” Liam snarled back at him, eyes burning yellow for a moment before fading. “Sorry.”

“You’re right.” The Alpha nodded. “You’re absolutely right, I haven’t been there for you. I remember what my first two weeks as a werewolf were like and I can’t believe I let you go through them on your own.”

“I’m not alone.” Liam responded sharply. “I have Stiles.”

“We both know that’s not the same though.” Scott rubbed the back of his neck. “I can’t fix that now, only promise that I’ll do better in the future.”

“Ok.” Liam frowned, “Hang on, I remember something the Benefactor said, he’s a hunter, collecting stuff? No, it was trophies; the deadpool got him trophies. Maybe that’s, like, a clue or something?”

“Yeah.” Scott nodded. “Ok, I’m going to find Argent, and Deaton too, maybe they know something about this guy, or have heard of him. Neither of the two hunter families we’ve met have collected _trophies_ before; sounds like this Thomas guy looks on supernaturals like animals. The deadpool, the trap in the hospital, manipulating Brunski and Meredith, he’s smart, we need to deal with him, especially now he’s operating in the open.”

“Right. What about Stiles?”

“My Mom said they’ll release him in the morning, so you might as well go home.”

“Oh.” Liam looked down, glancing at Scott when the older werewolf suddenly gripped his shoulder, the action reassuring instead of hostile as it had been on the previous occasions. “What?”

“It’s not your fault, Liam, you did your best.”

“I should have got there soon, found a way to get over the fence, get to Stiles before he got beaten up!”

“I know Stiles.” Scott smiled at him. “The fact you came at all will be what’s important to him, and from what Lydia said, you used your anger well; Brunski didn’t die because of you. You still have your yellow eyes.”

“Yeah.” Liam perked up suddenly. “Oh, hey, I learned how to do something new tonight. Um, it’s like, Stiles was in so much pain, and I just wanted to help him, and get him better and keep him safe, and then, like, all his pain-”

“Flowed out of him and into you?” Scott finished, sharing his smile. “That’s really cool, Liam, Deaton had to tell me how to do that. You’re a really strong werewolf, and both Stiles and I are going to need you in the days ahead. Go get some rest and we’ll meet up tomorrow in school, see what we have. I can give you a lift home, if you want?”

“Ok,” He nodded. “I’ll just say goodbye to Stiles first.” Liam waited for Scott to nod and then returned to the room, slipping inside as his step-father finished checking the IV drip. “Is he ok?”

“He’ll be fine.” Dr Geyer looked at him. “Are you going to tell me what happened? What _really_ happened?”

“Don’t you believe the Sheriff?”

“Liam,” The man replied warningly. “I don’t know what is going on in this hospital or this town, but-”

“Scott’s Dad is FBI!” Liam cut across him, a hasty excuse forming in his mind as he shuffled awkwardly towards his boyfriend. “Um, he said not to say anything, that it’s, err…” 

“A police matter?” Dr Geyer sighed, rubbing his hand across tired eyes. “Ok, fine, I’ve got surgery in fifteen minutes, I can’t deal with any more half-truths and evasions, just go home. Stiles will be released tomorrow. And when this, whatever it is, is over, we’re gonna talk.”

“Ok.” Liam muttered, glancing at his step-father as he lingered. “What?”

“He’s on morphine, he’s asleep, so, don’t try and wake him.”

“I won’t.” The werewolf waited until he was alone with Stiles, grasping his hand and taking the rest of his boyfriend’s pain away until his face smoothed out. Liam smiled and leaned in to kiss his lips carefully. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you, Stiles.”

 

“Yeah, thanks, Dad.” Stiles muttered, sitting on his bed, the covers pulled back as his father read the sides of the pill bottles. “I don’t even need-”

“You’re taking this one now, and the sedative in five minutes, Stiles.” The Sheriff replied firmly. “Let me get you a glass of water, but first, get into the bed.” He glared at his son until Stiles sighed and climbed inside, pulling the duvet around him.

“Happy?”

“Mhh.” The Sheriff grunted and left the bedroom, calling out behind him. “And no working the case, Stiles!”

“As if I could…” He grunted, lifting a hand to gently caress the gauze pads covering his jaw and eyebrow. _Hey, at least there’s not much bruising, I wonder if werewolf pain absorbing improves healing for humans?_ “Ugh, still hurts though.”

“Maybe if you didn’t talk!” His father grumbled, returning with the water. “Take the pills. Good. Now, rest. I need to go deal with the Eichen House explosion.” The Sheriff turned to leave, pausing as he looked back at Stiles. “Please stay in bed and sleep.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m…” Stiles trailed off, eyes already heavy. “I’m gonna…”

 

Stiles frowned, surfacing from his uncomfortable sleep with a frown that caused pain to ripple across his forehead. “Ah!” His face was still sore, a dull constant ache that had been missing from the night before. Stiles rolled over onto his less damaged side and tried to go back to sleep, waking a few minutes later to a thump and muffled scream. “What the hell?” Dragging himself from the bed, Stiles limped over to the window, frowning at the claw marks in the edge of the sill. “Hmm.” His eyes flicked over the undisturbed groove filled with mountain ash, and then pushed the window up, sticking his head out. “Liam?”

“Stiles…” The werewolf was sprawled out on the grass below his window, next to the tree. “Ugh.”

“Were you trying to climb inside?”

“There’s a barrier.”

“Yeah,” Stiles stifled a laugh as his boyfriend got to his feet with a groan. “Mountain Ash. It’s there to stop intruders, and Scott.”

“Scott?”

“It’s…a long story.” He frowned, then winced and stopped. “Use the door like a normal person.”

“I can’t; it’s locked.”

“Fine.” Stiles sighed. “I’ll come down.”

Liam grinned at him as the door opened. “Hey! I got you something!”

Stiles stared at the large red fluffy teddy bear in Liam’s hands. “Um…thanks?”

“I was gonna get you candy, but then with your jaw, I thought something soft.” He thrust the bear out to Stiles as his cheeks flushed. Liam met his eyes when Stiles smiled and took it from him.

“Thanks, Liam.” He hugged the bear to his chest with one arm and took his boyfriend’s hand with the other. “Now, come on inside, pup.”

 

Stiles nodded as Liam finished filling him in on Scott’s plan. “So, Scott’s talking to Argent, maybe he knows the hunter, or the hunter family, at least.”

“Yeah, he said not to do anything, just check on you.” Liam glanced at him. “But I was going to do that anyway.”

“Thanks, pup.” Stiles smiled and leaned against him, his uninjured cheek resting on Liam’s shoulder. “I’m really tired right now.”

“Ok.” There was silence for a minute as Liam hugged Stiles to him carefully, hands clasped, fingers interlaced as he siphoned the pain away. “Um, so why was the window blocked off? What did Scott do?”

“So, um, this was a while ago.” Stiles muttered, voice low as his eyes remained closed. “Scott was just getting used to his powers, had kinda abused them actually: he kissed Lydia.”

“What?!”

“Yeah, um, Jackson, her boyfriend at the time, was…not exactly friends with me, but I wouldn’t say we were enemies either. He just chose to be with Lydia instead.”

“Huh.” Liam frowned as Stiles continued. _I’m not sure I want to know where this is going…_

“Anyway, after we defeated Peter Hale, and all the madness, there was, um, Jackson and I…”

“You did stuff with him?”

“This would be so embarrassing if I wasn’t drugged up.” Stiles rolled over, resting his head in Liam’s lap as he looked up at his boyfriend. A flush of color flashed up his neck. “He…taught me how to suck cock.”

“Oh, uh, um…”

“I know, but right when I was about to cum, Scott climbed through the window.”

“What?” Liam stared at him, “No way!”

“It’s one of those things we never talk about because it was so awkward, and Jackson lives in London now, so.”

“He moved away?”

“Not because of that!” Stiles gently punched Liam’s abs, smirking. “By the way, I can feel your hardon.”

“Uh, it’s…that was a hot image, even if I don’t know who this guy is!” Liam protested, feeling his own cheeks heat as Stiles wriggled his head back and forth. “Stop that!”

“Nope, and don’t worry, pup, I’ll teach you everything I know!” He winked as Liam’s eyes flashed yellow. “Haha.”


	47. The Gathering Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay in getting this chapter up; other projects and work got in the way. This is a plot-heavy chapter, and the next four chapters will focus on the Benefactor arc and its resolution. I've those pretty well developed, so hopefully I'll get that concluded by the end of next week!

Stiles groaned, feeling something vibrating against his face smashed into Liam’s trousers. He blinked his eyes open, frowning in the darkness, Liam was snoring quietly above him, head rolled back on the couch. Stiles rolled over, getting off his boyfriend’s lap and shaking his shoulder. “Liam, c’mon, Liam, wake up!”

“Huh? Wha?” The werewolf grunted, starting as his dreams of Berserkers faded. They weren’t as bad anymore, and this one had him facing a Berserker who was eating doughnuts off his clawed fingers. “Uh, what’s going on?”

“Your phone is ringing.” Stiles explained, grimacing as his face ached. “I’m gonna take my pain meds, it’s dark outside, so I probably missed a dose.”

“Don’t take too much!” Liam called out as his boyfriend smirked and left the room. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. “Missed call from Scott. Hmm.” The werewolf quickly called him back. “Scott? It’s Liam, I missed a call from you?”

“Yeah, um, hang on. No, Brett, go the other way.”

“Brett?” Liam muttered, frowning as Scott hummed irritably.

“Ok. Sorry, it’s crazy over here. I’m at Deaton’s clinic, there was another attack while you were keeping Stiles, um, company.”

“That’s all we were doing Scott, we just fell asleep on the couch.” He shook his head at the older werewolf’s sudden silence. “But that doesn’t matter. What’s happening?”

“Some group of heavily armed assassins came for Brett and his sister; it looks as though they’re trying to take out all of Satomi’s pack. Don’t worry, Kira and I got to them in time.”

“Why would I be worried?”

“Liam!”

“Sorry, that came out wrong.” The Freshman muttered, chastised. “What were you saying?”

“Ok, so, uh,” Scott took a breath and continued talking quickly. “I talked to Argent as well, I have some good news on the Benefactor, I know who he is. That’s kinda where the good news ends; he’s probably the worst hunter we’ve ever encountered. But, um, don’t panic, I’m grabbing Malia and Kira and we’ll be over soon.”

“What about Lydia and Meredith?” 

“Lydia is still in the Sheriff’s Station, they’re trying to get information out of Meredith. The Benefactor must have given her to us for a reason.” Scott grunted and there was the sound of his motorbike roaring into life. “Ok, Liam, tell Stiles we’ll be there soon.”

“Got it.”

 

“Yowch!” Malia exclaimed when Stiles opened the door, pulling a face.

“That bad, huh?” 

“Well, yeah, you look like you’ve been run over.” She replied as Stiles waved her and Kira inside. “Trust me, I’d know what that looks like. There was this one rabbit that-”

“Another time, Malia.” Stiles cut her off sharply, instantly regretting it as her expression hardened. _Shit._ “Um, hey Scott, don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it looks.”

The Alpha nodded slowly, his eyes hurt. “I should’ve been there.”

“ _I_ was there.” Liam stood up, glaring at Scott. “I did my best.”

“It’s not your fault.” Stiles put a hand on each of the werewolf’s shoulders. “Either of you.”

“Right, uh, well, are we going to sit down or something?” Scott cleared his throat awkwardly and walked towards the couch. “There’s a lot to discuss.”

“Yeah, Liam said you know more about the Benefactor? His name? What he wants?”

“His full name, yeah, but not what he wants.” Scott nodded, sitting next to Kira as Stiles and Liam took the other couch, Malia sitting on the arm of the armchair. “So, based on your description of him, his first name, and how he managed to get away, Argent could only think of one family of hunters that matched.”

“I’m getting old here, Scott.” Stiles said as the Alpha paused to look at them one by one.

“Sorry, um, his name is Thomas der Schütze, according to what Argent could remember about the family members, but um, he said that Thomas wasn’t their son, that he was adopted.” 

“der Schütze?” Malia frowned. “What does that mean?”

“Archer, shooter, or hunter.” The Alpha explained. “It’s German.”

"That's a bit on the nose," Stiles muttered. "Anything else?"

“Yeah, they’re based on the East Coast, very mobile though, they don’t stay in one area long.” Scott frowned, “Um, let me think…oh, yeah, Argent said that the der Schützes have a preference for unusual hunting methods; contractors, traps, bounties.”

“So, that’s why he liked the deadpool so much.” Stiles nodded and gestured for him to continue.

“Yeah, he also said that among the American hunters, they’re the ones that routinely operate outside the US, in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia where collateral damage is acceptable.” Scott rubbed a hand over his face. “It gets worse.”

“How could it get worse?” Liam stared at him. 

“They have a code; like the Calaveras, and the Argents, but theirs is different: more aggressive. He said that they see anyone who aids a supernatural as fair game, and likewise, any supernatural to display hostility to a human is an enemy, regardless of the human’s own actions.” Scott looked at them in turn, his gaze lingering on Liam. “Argent told me that the Benefactor is probably the most dangerous hunter we’ve ever faced, and that includes Gerard.”

Silence filled the room as each of them looked at the coffee table. Stiles was about to speak when his phone rang out. He answered quickly when he saw the name. “Yeah?”

“Stiles, are you feeling better?”

“Uh huh.” He looked up at the pack. “It’s Lydia. I’m going to put you on loudspeaker, everyone is here.” Stiles placed the phone on the table. “Ok.”

“Good, I’ve been talking to Meredith, your Dad finally let me speak to her. He was there with Jordan, uh, Deputy Parrish.”

“Did you learn anything?”

“Yes and no.” Lydia sounded exasperated. “Meredith knows things, but she wouldn’t tell us everything until she could speak to Peter Hale.”

“What?” Scott barked. “Why on earth would she want to talk to him?”

“I don’t know, but what the Benefactor said checks out; he never came up with the plan for the deadpool, Meredith did.”

“Fuck.” Stiles muttered. “But-”

“Wait, there’s more.” Lydia interrupted. “It was just sitting there in her brain, she never tried to make it happen, but she must have met him somehow-she wouldn’t say how- and he was the one who made it all work. Meredith told him about Brunski, and Thomas blackmailed and bribed him to do all the legwork. She doesn’t know why he’s doing it though.”

“What about the deadpool itself?”

“Meredith claims that it’s operated from inside the lake house.”

“Your lake house?” Scott arched a brow as Stiles shrugged.

“Yes, Scott, _my_ lake house is being used as the hub of an assassination program!” Lydia sighed. “I don’t know, but I don’t think she’s lying, and we need to check it out.”

“Will do.” Stiles nodded. “Any…traps?”

“Why would there be-” She stopped speaking, answering her own question. “Because of what happened at Eichen, right. I don’t know Stiles, Meredith said that the Benefactor was very hands-off, that he preferred to watch what she called _the show_ from far away.”

“That would make sense.” Scott said, glancing at them. “Um, Argent said the der Schützes were known for something else other than their code.” The Alpha swallowed hard, “Apparently, Gerard would often purchase grenades, bombs, landmines, that sort of thing from them; they have expertise in making explosives deadly to werewolves.”

“Fuck.” Liam whispered, reddening when they all looked at him. “I don’t want to be blown up!”

“Just blown.” Stiles quipped, grinning. He stopped as Scott flushed, Malia laughed, and Lydia sighed loudly over the phone. Liam stared at him. “Err, sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”

“Uh, um.” Scott looked at the picture above Stiles’ head. “You need to be careful when you’re trying to dismantle the deadpool, or just around the lake house in general. We don’t know what could be in there.”

“Yeah, we’ll be careful.” Stiles nodded. “But what will you be doing?”

“Sorry, guys, Parrish is escorting Peter Hale inside now. I’ll call you when I know more.” Lydia hung up and Scott nodded at Kira and Liam.

“We need to protect Brett and his sister, and the rest of Satomi’s pack, at least the ones that are left.”

“I…” Stiles was about to respond when he felt Liam shuffle awkwardly on the couch beside him. “Err, yeah, can you give us five minutes, Scott? That was a hell of an information dump. There’s coffee and leftover doughnuts in the kitchen, if you want some? My Dad thought I should eat something soft.” He added as Malia made a beeline for the door.

“Cool.” Scott stood, hand clasping Kira’s and inclined his head towards the porch. “See you in a few.”

Stiles nodded, turning so he was facing his boyfriend more fully. “Ok, what’s bothering you?”

 

Liam didn’t look up as Stiles waited for him to speak, his fingers playing with a loose thread in his jacket. He opened his mouth, but then closed it a moment later as he thought better of it. 

“Hey, come on, Liam, talk to me.” Stiles reached out to touch his hand, the werewolf glancing at him. “What is it?”

“How do you do it, Stiles?”

“Do what?”

“This, everything.” Liam gestured around him. “You and Scott just talked about a crazy bomb-making hunter who wants to kill us all like it was last week’s game or a Math test or a-”

“Hey, hey, calm down.” Stiles slid his hands over Liam’s bare arms. “It’s fine, it will be fine.”

“How can it be fine?!” Liam’s voice rose, panic edging his pulse higher. “Ever since I’ve become a werewolf, things have just kept getting worse; assassins and the deadpool, and now the Benefactor is like a super-hunter? I know you’re my anchor and without you I’d be completely lost, but all this? It’s just too much!”

“Ok.” Stiles nodded, keeping his eyes locked onto Liam’s, his voice calm and heartbeat even. “I know what Scott wants to do; he’s going to go and protect those stupid pacifist werewolves. What I’m gonna do is shut down the deadpool. We need to take out those assassins and stop more appearing before we even think about dealing with the Benefactor.”

“I guess.” Liam muttered, pulling his eyes away from Stiles. “I just, I don’t know how you keep on fighting to keep everyone alive, and you guys just never seem to run out of energy.”

“This is real, Liam.” Stiles said, his face serious. “Lives are at stake, and it’s our responsibility to keep going, to make sure that Beacon Hills is safe again. It’s the way Scott has done things since he became a werewolf. It’s the way I do things. But, you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“What do you mean?”

“You can go with Scott and Kira and help save the other werewolves, you can come with me and we’ll handle the deadpool situation in Lydia’s lake house, or,” He paused as Liam kept looking down, his expression sad. “I can just take you home?” 

"I wanna stay with you." Liam said eventually, looking up at Stiles. "I need to."

"Ok, I'll tell Scott." Stiles grinned. “I love you, we’ll get through this.” He hugged Liam close and kissed his cheek. The werewolf rubbed his nose into Stiles’ t-shirt and he let Liam rest for a moment before pulling back. “Let me grab Malia and explain the plan, she’ll probably go with Scott and Kira.”

Liam nodded, eyes closed as he drew Stiles scent deep inside, holding onto it for as long as he could. His flicked open, a yellow glow in the semi-darkness. “I’ll be here.”


	48. The Secret of the Lake House

Liam looked up when Scott came back inside, frowning slightly as he heard the Alpha’s pulse racing. But he forgot that as soon as Scott sat down on the coffee table in front of him, a little closer than Liam felt comfortable with. He settled back on the couch. “What?”

“You and Stiles talk?”

“Uh, yeah.” He nodded. “I’m going to go with him to the lake house.”

“I see.” Scott’s tone was unreadable and Liam frowned.

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s…” Scott hesitated, looking at him squarely. “It’s a good thing, I think. Just in case the Benefactor left some unpleasant surprises.”

“Ok.” Liam pressed his lips together in the way that he saw Stiles sometimes do. “But, um, what about you and Brett’s pack?”

“Me and Kira will take them to Argent Arms International; it’s a factory in the industrial district, I’m hoping they’ll be safe there.” Scott smiled reassuringly at his Beta. “I’ll have Kira, Derek, Braeden, and Argent with me. That’s a lot of firepower!”

Liam was silent for a moment, staring at the ground. He looked up, “Are you sure that’s the best idea? What if the assassins come? What if the Benefactor comes?”

“Don’t worry about us, Liam, I can handle this.” Scott avoided the question, but fixed him with an intense stare. “Listen, I need you to keep Stiles safe, and yourself too. We’re putting an end to this, tonight.”

“It seems really risky, I’m just-”

“I’ll be fine.” Scott cut across him. “Everyone will be. And remember, we keep each other safe and we don’t kill anyone.”

Liam nodded quietly. It was similar to what Stiles had told him minutes earlier, but for some reason the words just felt more hollow coming from Scott. Finally, when the Alpha didn’t get up, Liam glanced at him. “I understand.” 

“Good, um, ok, good.” Scott stood up, hand raised as if to pat him on the shoulder before thinking better of it and moving towards the door. “Keep me informed if anything bad happens.”

“Right.” 

 

Stiles leaned against the counter-top as Malia finished the last of the doughnuts. He arched a brow, “Are they any good?”

“The jelly ones are.” Malia shook the sugar from her hands, matching his gaze.

“So, um, are you going with Scott to protect Brett’s pack?”

“Maybe.”

“Ok,” Stiles wetted his lips, “We could use you; me and Liam, he’s smart and strong, but I’d feel better with two supernaturals to back me up.” He smiled but she just looked at him. “Um, ok, look, about not telling you that Peter Hale was your father…”

“I’m listening.”

“Um.” Stiles hesitated, “So, it’s my fault, more or less. Scott thought we should tell you, so did Lydia, but, um, I convinced them not to. I thought if you knew you might get hurt, or that you’d feel hurt. I wasn’t trying to be cruel. It’s a lot to ask for your forgiveness, but we’re friends, Malia, at least we were, can we go back to that?”

There was a heavy pause.

“Stiles, I…” Malia trailed off, glaring at the counter in front of her. “Everything was so much simpler when I was just a coyote in the woods.”

“I know we told you all about Peter Hale and all the bad stuff he's done, but it's one thing to hear it and another to live it.” Stiles unfolded his arms and put his hands in his pockets. “We really were hiding the truth to protect you.”

“I’m not good at forgiveness.”

“I don’t deserve it.” Stiles nodded. “But we do need your help, even if-”

“I said I wasn’t good at it, not that you don’t have it.” Malia cut across him. “You put your life on the line for us, for the pack, for Lydia. You’re not even a werewolf, and you’ve taken on the Chemist, the assassins at the school, Brunski, I respect that, I admire it. Whatever else you might have done doesn’t matter: we’re pack, we’re friends. So, I’m with you.”

“Awesome,” Stiles grinned and hugged her briefly. “Let’s grab Liam and head out to the lake house.” 

 

“Why won't you let me drive?” Stiles said as the other two stared at him. “What?”

“Stiles, your face is still-”

“It doesn’t hurt!” He cut across Malia’s words as Liam folded his arms and shook his head. “I’m fine.”

“You’re taking medication, I don’t think you’re meant to drive.” Liam reached out to place a hand on his boyfriend’s arm. “I mean, you told me all about Jackson, and that was pretty embarrassing.”

Stiles growled at him as Malia opened her mouth. He spoke before she could. “Fine, but I’m sitting in the front.”

“Ok.” Liam nodded and followed Malia over to her car, climbing in as the werecoyote’s pulse quickened. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, uh huh.” She replied quickly as Stiles moved around to the passenger side. “I’ve had two classes of Driver’s Ed, I’ll be fine, I’ll go slow.”

Stiles glanced across at the dashboard as they crawled down the street. “Um, the sooner we get there, Malia, the sooner we can shut down the deadpool.”

“I know.”

“So, maybe you could speed up, get to forty, maybe?”

“I know!”

“Ok.” Stiles shut up at her frosty glare, but nodded encouragingly as Malia took the turn off towards Lydia’s lake house with increasing speed. “Much better.”

“There’s no traffic.” Malia pointed out, pressing a little firmly on the accelerator. 

“That’s good,” Liam muttered, “Since you’re in the wrong lane…” He quickly looked away as she turned her gaze on him.

“Eyes on the road!” Stiles cried out, reaching over to adjust their position. “Ok, we’re ok. Right, pu-err, Liam?”

“Yeah.” The werewolf huffed as they continued down the road in silence. _Every damn time!_

“Why do you like to be called a puppy?” Malia asked suddenly.

Stiles choked and coughed as Liam flushed crimson. “Um…”

“I mean, I don’t get it.” She continued on, oblivious to their mounting embarrassment. “You’re not a baby, so why be called one? Especially a baby dog.”

“Um, well, err, haha,” Stiles stuttered, feeling Liam’s eyes burning into him. “It’s a term of affection, and it’s cute, cos puppies are cute, and so is Liam. Plus, he’s a new werewolf so…”

“Oh.” Malia nodded. “I see.”

Liam waited for her to tease him, but the werecoyote just continued to drive on. _Just like that? You’re just going to let it go? Maybe she doesn’t get how embarrassing it would be if Scott or Mason found out? Well, as long as no one else hears it…_

“Lake house is just ahead.” Stiles pointed through the trees, trying to ignore his pounding heart. “Get ready, we don’t know what the Benefactor might have left behind.”

 

Stiles opened the door to the study, “Let’s check in here, then the bedrooms, there was nothing in the kitchen.”

“Yeah,” Liam took a quick survey of the room and then froze. “Wait, there’s something wrong.”

“A trap?” The Junior glanced around nervously.

“No, the scent is weird, it’s like, like it’s been erased.” He screwed up his nose and frowned. “There should be smells in here, even if it’s just the plaster and the carpet, but it smells of nothing. Argh.” Liam grunted and kneaded his forehead.

“You ok?” Stiles put a hand on his back as Malia moved in, nodding.

“I smell it too, or, well, I don’t smell anything.”

“Which is the point.” Liam said, leaning into Stiles to catch his scent, the pain easing. “Just a headache, like someone was trying to pull my nose inside out.”

“Ok, creepy study it is,” Stiles knelt in front of the record player. “This is how Lorraine tried to commune with her Banshee side. It’s the same device that sent Meredith over the edge. Will I?”

“Sure, we can’t be affected.” Malia nodded and sat beside him as Liam sat on Stiles’ other side.

Stiles tipped the arm towards the record, watching as the needle dipped into the groove. A strange uneven crackling and humming filled the air, Malia grimacing as they listened. Liam whined and rubbed closer to Stiles, his boyfriend hugging him tight. "It's ok, pup." The werewolf pulled away from him after a moment and walked over to the opposite end of the room. Stiles smiled at him and glanced at Malia. “Are you alright?”

“It’s unnerving, I feel like something bad is about to happen.” She muttered, looking at Liam. “I kinda want to move away too.”

“Yeah.” Stiles glared at the box and stood up. "What are we even doing here? We're in a room that wasn't made for us; we need someone like Lydia or Meredith to figure it out. We're just sitting here listening to a stupid record player play a record that doesn't play anything!" He gestured at Liam, "We need to check the other rooms more carefully." Stiles flicked the switch off and moved towards the door. Liam was about to follow when he heard a new noise; a low humming. He glanced at Malia.

"Do you hear that?"

"Yeah, from behind the wall, right?"

"Whirring, maybe beeping?" Liam looked back at the door. "Stiles?"

"What?" He rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked at his boyfriend. 

"We can still hear it."

"But it's turned off."

"Well, something is still running." Liam stood up, staring at the wall. "Something spinning, clicking."

“Huh.” Stiles looked over the record player, tilting his head on one side as he spotted an unusually thick black cable coming out of the wall and connecting to the record player. _Weird. It’s not like a plug, and this record player is old, there’s no internet connectivity, right?_ He pulled away the record player and knelt down, gripping the cord as Liam and Malia hovered over him. Stiles looked back at them, "Lorraine performed experiments based on supernatural theories, probably in this room, what if she left something behind? Something that the Benefactor then used for himself?"

"Something that runs a deadpool?" Liam frowned.

"Pull it out." Malia said.

Stiles nodded and yanked the cable forward, plaster breaking around it. “Give me a hand.” He gestured at Liam and together they pulled the cord up along the wall, tearing a ragged hole. “Wait, that doesn't look right, like there's space behind the plaster board. Grab that side.” The three of them began to tear the plasterboard down, large chunks coming away in their hands. “Woah.” Stiles blinked as he stared at the humming machines. “Did not expect that.”


	49. Pulling the Plug

"Uh, what is that?" Liam looked at him, frowning. He gestured at the machines. "I don't understand." 

"It's a computer." Stiles muttered. "You remember when I told you that IBM made computers that were so big they needed entire rooms to house them? That's one of them, and it must be what Meredith meant when she said that the deadpool is controlled from here." He studied the dials and flashing lights for a moment. “We need to-Stop!” Stiles cried out, standing in front of the computers as Malia made to punch it, grunting as her fist connected with his shoulder. “Ouch.”

“Shit! Stiles!” Malia shouted at him, alarm in her voice. There was a growl beside her and the werecoyote turned slowly to see Liam snarling at her, fangs bared, the werewolf slowly crouching into an attack position. “Um…”

“Liam!” Stiles moved between them, rubbing his shoulder. “Let’s all calm down, huh? That was an accident, Malia didn’t mean to hit me, ok? We don’t go all wolfed out on our friends, remember?” The werewolf nodded mutely, his eyes never leaving Malia until Stiles used his hand to turn Liam’s face towards him. “Liam? Claws in. And fangs. And eyes too."

Liam sheathed his claws, fangs disappearing with a grunt, but his eyes remained yellow. He stared at the ground, cheeks flushing. "Sorry."

“Ok, so, if this thing is disseminating the deadpool,” Stiles nodded at the computer. _That was close…_ “It's going to keep going until everyone on the list is dead." 

"So, what do we do?" Malia asked, eying Liam carefully.

"Uh, we need some kind of command prompt." Stiles frowned, looking further into the hole they created. "I don't see an interface..." Malia walked forward, ignoring Liam's warning growl. "No, no, don’t punch-"

“I’m not going to.” She pointed at a dust covered slot. "What about a key?"

“Huh.” Stiles scratched his head, “Maybe? It’s old technology, so perhaps it works with a key. We should call Lydia.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Liam said as he looked pointedly at the large hole torn in the wall, plaster dust coating the carpet underneath. “She’s going to freak out!”

 

“Stiles! What the hell did you do?” Lydia shrieked at them as Stiles held the phone up to the wall. “How am I going to explain this to my Mom? And the carpet! And the dust!”

“Yeah, ok, but, what about the computers?” Stiles asked, wincing as he heard Lydia take in a sharp breath. “Um, maybe-”

“I’m grounded.” Lydia muttered as Liam folded his arms, looking at Stiles. “I’m grounded for life.”

“Lydia,” Stiles started, directing the phone at the whirring machines again, ignoring his boyfriend’s _told ya so_ expression. “We can deal with the wall after we take the deadpool offline.”

“Fine.” She sighed, “I don’t know anything about computers from the 1970s.”

“Neither do we!” Liam called out as he saw her roll her eyes, “But we think it uses a key to turn on and off.”

“Right.” Stiles nodded, “Do you know where it might be?”

“One key? Are you kidding me?”

“Ok, look,” Stiles fumbled with the phone, cursing as it pointed at the carpet. “Fuck, sorry, hang on. We need-”

“Stop.” Lydia cried out. “Point at the floor again, a little to the right…it’s gone.”

“What’s gone?”

“The wine stains. There was a bottle of wine on the record player, I spilled it.” Lydia explained as Stiles righted the phone so they could all look at her. “There should be red wine drops, a stain on the carpet. But there isn’t.”

“What does that mean?” Malia asked, crowding Stiles even more, ignoring Liam’s sudden spiking pulse. “Lydia, what does it mean?”

“Everything in the lake house has been a lie: the ashes weren't ashes, the study isn't a study, so maybe the wine isn't wine.”

“Ok, I see.” Stiles nodded slowly and scanned the room. “Do you remember what the label was?”

“Of course, it's a 1982 Cotes du Rhone.” Lydia stopped speaking and looked back at them. “Peter Hale is arriving, I need to go.”

“Ok, be careful,” Stiles said as he handed the phone to Malia, “We’ll let you know once the deadpool is shut down. C’mon Liam, let’s find that bottle.”

 

“Is this it?” Liam held out the bottle to Stiles, frowning at the long racks of wine in the pantry.

“Err, yeah, that’s it. Good job, pup!” He grinned as Liam smiled at him. “C’mon, we better bring this back to Malia. “Hey, you could be a wine connoisseur someday with your werewolf skills!”

“Uh, no thanks.” Liam screwed up his nose. “I don’t like the smell.”

“Haha,” His boyfriend laughed and squeezed his shoulder reassuringly as they returned to the study. Stiles shook the bottle and glanced at Malia. “There’s definitely something in here. We just need an opener. Probably should have grabbed one from the kitchen. Liam, can you-” His words were interrupted as Malia took the bottle from his hands and smashed it against the floor.

“There.”

“Lydia is gonna be so pissed.” Liam groaned and bent down to get the key, waving away his boyfriend’s hands. “No, Stiles, the glass is sharp, let me do it.”

“Thanks.” He took the offered key and darted over to the computers. “Ok, let’s see.” Stiles pushed the key into the slot on the central tower and looked back at them. “It fits.”

“Twist it!” 

“Here goes,” Stiles nodded and twisted the key sharply. Nothing happened for a moment, and then the large spinning tapes began to slow down and stop. He blinked and stepped back, feeling Liam slip his hand into his own. “Huh.”

"It's over." Liam said, relief flooding his voice. He smiled at Stiles and Malia, the expression fading when Stiles shook his head. “What?”

“The Benefactor is still out there, and remember, he wanted us to shut the deadpool down.” He glared at the machines. “We need to know why, we need to find him. It’s not over until we do.”


	50. A Beneficial Link

Stiles pushed open the door to his Dad’s office without knocking, but stumbled to a halt when he saw the chair opposite the Sheriff was occupied by a man with dark hair. “Oh, shit! I’m sorry, there was no one at the front desk, I, um, I’ll wait out-”

“Stiles, it’s alright.” The Sheriff grinned at him, even though the stranger hadn’t turned around. “This is actually someone I want you to meet.”

“Dad, this isn’t really…” He trailed off as the man stood up with the Sheriff and turned to face him; the same long coat, the same smirk playing around his lips that Stiles had last seen at Eichen. “Uh,”

“Hello, Stiles, the Sheriff has been telling me all about you.” The Benefactor grinned at him, the expression never reaching his cobalt eyes. “But I have also been telling him about myself, and my, uh, mother.”

“Do you remember your Aunt Lucy?” The Sheriff sat on the edge of his desk.

“Yeah, she died when I was twelve.” Stiles frowned, looking between them. “Hang on, you’re like twenty-five, you can’t be her son! She was, what, forty?”

“My sister was always troubled,” His Dad sighed, “She ran away when she was sixteen, moved from place to place, sent us postcards from L.A., and then Mexico, and further south. Apparently, Thomas was born in the US, but she just never told us about him. He was put up for adoption on the East Coast.”

“A few weeks ago, some of my Mom’s things arrived in the mail.” The Benefactor grinned at Stiles, seeing him squirm uncomfortably. “She mentioned Beacon Hills in her diary, her brother, Noah. So, I decided to come out here and find you guys.”

“Really?” Stiles glared at him. “Right now, you came here?”

“You’re not going to come and give your long-lost cousin a welcome home hug?!”

“Err, Dad?” Stiles turned quickly to his father. “Can I talk to you outside, please? It’s important.”

“Um, sure, ok.” The Sheriff looked at Thomas. “Do you want another coffee? I’ll just be a few minutes-”

“Sheriff!” Deputy Clark knocked on the glass and entered quickly. “There’s a robbery in progress at Grand National bank downtown, they’ve taken hostages!”

Stiles looked quickly at the Benefactor, seeing the hunter’s lips curl at the news. _Oh crap…_ “Dad, I need to talk to you, right now.” He tried to grab his father’s arm, but the Sheriff shook him off.

“Not now, Stiles,” He looked over at Thomas. “I’m sorry, this is an emergency, I’m sure you understand. Um, leave your number and we’ll all get together while you’re still in town?”

“Sounds great.” The Benefactor nodded and caught Stiles’ attention, pulling his coat open to show a badge and gun holstered on his hip. He grinned as the teenager stopped moving and let the Sheriff go. Once they were alone, Thomas tapped the badge. “It’s amazing what respect a simple ring of metal can get you.”

“You’re not really a Federal Marshal, are you?” Stiles folded his arms. “I mean, I wouldn’t put it past you, with the over-the-top setup you had for the deadpool.”

“No, I’m not. But like I said, the badge gets you all sorts of co-operation.” The Benefactor moved closer to him and Stiles backed off. “Your little werewolf boyfriend isn’t here, is he? I imagine I’d have his claws in me by now.”

“No, I’m alone.” Stiles swallowed hard, trying to remain calm. _Fuck! Why did I tell him to go train with Scott?_

“I’m not here to kill you.”

“That’s a relief.” Stiles deadpanned.

“I’m here to kill all your friends, the supernatural ones, at least.” The Benefactor pulled out his gun. “And you’re going to help me do it.”

 

Liam followed Scott morosely as they walked towards the center of the clearing again. “When can I go home?”

“I thought you were enjoying this?”

“Scott, we just spent twenty minutes smelling a tree. I don’t need to understand the twelve different types of squirrel piss.” Liam looked at him as the Alpha shifted uneasily. “Stiles said that you could teach me more about interpreting scents and chemosignals, from the _werewolf_ perspective.”

“Yeah, sounds like Stiles.” Scott muttered, then he brightened up. “Ok, so, how about a…game?”

“Ugh, fine.” The younger werewolf grunted. “Wait, if I play, will you tell me what happened at Argent’s factory?”

“What do you mean?” Scott replied carefully.

“When we got there, the place was trashed, there was blood all over one of the walls. Brett didn’t say anything to me, but it looked like some serious shit had gone down. But all you said was that the assassins left, and everyone was alive.” Liam stared at him accusingly. “You didn’t even tell Stiles when he asked you about it. I overheard you.”

“Stop listening in on my conversations with Stiles, Liam!” The Alpha glared at him and then sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair. “Ok, look, we’ll do boundaries next time. But, yeah, if you play the game with me, I’ll tell you about the fight. With your temper, it might actually be a good lesson.”

“So, what sort of game is it?” Liam frowned, brows drawn together, his arms folded. “Like catch, or something?”

“No, no, not yet.” Scott shook his head. “We’ll do more physical werewolf training once you get a handle on your self-control.”

“I _have_ control!” The werewolf’s eyes flashed and he growled at Scott. “When I’m around Stiles.”

“Yeah, but, Liam, you can’t be near him all the time.” Scott took a breath as his Beta’s claws slid out. “Uh, what I mean is that if you need to be near him to have control, then that means bringing Stiles into danger too. Is that what you want?”

“No.”

“Didn’t think so.” The older werewolf nodded as Liam’s claws retracted. “Ok, so, I’m going to use my phone to look at pictures that make me have different emotional reactions, and you need to use your nose only to figure out what I’m feeling. Got it?” 

“Did you come up with this game?” Liam looked at Scott as his Alpha nodded enthusiastically. “Um, yeah, ok, I’ll try.” _Stiles already did this with me…But Scott looks happy, maybe if I go along with it, I won’t have to sniff anymore trees._ “I’m ready.”

“Alright, first one’s an easy one.” Scott looked at the image of the hamburger on the screen. “Go!” 

 

“That’s not the first gun I’ve had pointed in my face.” Stiles said, his hands raised.

“No, but I actually will kill you if I have to.” The Benefactor gestured towards the door. “C’mon, there were four Deputies in the station when I came in, and the Sheriff took three with him just now. Only one left.”

“And you’d kill him too?”

“I will kill whoever I need to.” Thomas replied coldly. “But you can save him; walk out of here with me naturally, and I won’t shoot him.”

“Fine.” Stiles muttered. He opened the door of his father’s office and walked into the main station. _Please be Parrish, please be Parrish, please be…fuck! Dunwell._ Stiles nodded at the officer and exited as the Benefactor holstered his gun and pushed him gently in the back. “Now what?”

“Get into your Jeep, you’ll do the driving.” He climbed into the passenger seat after Stiles started the engine. The gun was back out and lying casually on Thomas’ lap. “One wrong move and I’ll shoot you. Your dead body will draw the werewolves to me just as well as your living one.”

“So, why am I alive?” Stiles asked as he started driving, following the Benefactor’s directions into the run-down section of the industrial zone. “Why not just shoot me in my Dad’s office?”

“Because as much as you might want to think I’m full of bullshit, that little story I told your father was the truth.” He grinned suddenly. “We are related, by blood, if not by ideology.”

“Huh?”

“Your boyfriend is a werewolf, and I’ve sworn the rest of my life to destroying their kind. Take a right.” Thomas nodded at the entrance to a rusting, forgotten, munitions factory. “Keep going, follow the yellow line drawn on the pavement.”

Stiles didn’t reply, feeling his stomach clench hard. _Damn it, how is Liam going to find me here? Or maybe the Benefactor has left some sort of trail? He did say he wanted to kill them all. Fuck, I need to find some way to warn them._ His eyes flicked up to check the rear-view mirror, gaze landing on the police scanner. Thomas was frowning at something ahead of them, jaw clenched as though in pain, and Stiles took the opportunity to drop his hand to his side. As he was about to reach back, there was a click, and Stiles looked up to find the gun cocked and ready, pointing at his chest.

“Don’t worry, Stiles, I want your friends to come and find you.”

“So, you can kill them?” Stiles glared at the Benefactor, slowing as the man nodded towards the dark entrance of a nearby building. He pulled inside and killed the engine. “I’m not going to help you kill them, you’re just going to have to shoot me.” Stiles managed to say the words without his voice breaking, even as his heart hammered in his chest.

“I thought you would have figured it out by now, Stiles, I don’t kill werewolves myself, not really.” He grinned and gestured for them to get out. “No, when the pack comes for you, and they will, they must face the _Gauntlet of Terror!_ ”

“You’re crazy and have really bad taste in villain names.” Stiles muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Get moving!” Thomas shoved him down a long, nondescript hallway, passing through several equally empty rooms until they reached the final one. It was protected by a heavy steel door that Stiles managed to push open as the Benefactor grinned at him. “Good. Now, come and look down the hallway again.”

Stiles frowned as the Benefactor walked over to a keypad and entered a series of passcodes. He was about to speak when a loud grinding reached his ears, and Stiles ducked. “Fuck!” The massive sawblade disappeared into the wall, and another appeared across the room. He cast his gaze back down the way they had come; seeing gouts of flame, the crackle of electricity, and a grey mist filling the hallway. “Traps.”

“And lots of them!” The Benefactor grinned at him, “But I have you, so your pack will try and get through them, I wonder who will last the longest!”

 

Liam thanked Scott as the Alpha dropped him off at the Sheriff Station. _That was weird, I mean, sure, Scott’s a werewolf so he has the perfect body, but it felt strange to touch him like that, but I guess I had to hug him or I’d fall off. I hope Stiles doesn’t mind…_ He pushed open the door of the station as the Sheriff emerged from his office, pulling off a Kevlar vest. “Woah! What happened?”

“Hostage situation downtown.” The Sheriff sighed and lowered his voice. “The last of those assassins from the deadpool, I think. Don’t worry, everyone survived.”

“Oh, where’s Stiles?”

“I thought he was with you.”

“No, I was with Scott, werewolf stuff.” Liam muttered, frowning. An uncomfortable sensation slid into his stomach. “Uh, I’ll just call him.” He dug out his phone, following the Sheriff back into his office to sit on the couch. “It’s ringing, hang on.”

“Yeah?”

“Stiles!” Liam’s voice leapt with joy. “Phew, I thought something was wrong. Your Dad said-”

“Liam, listen.” Stiles cut across him, his voice was odd, strangely controlled, but the werewolf could hear the tension in his breathing, the way he spoke a little too quick. “Liam, I have a message from the Benefactor.”

“What?” He swallowed hard, feeling his legs go weak. _No! I was gone for a few hours, that’s all. How could this happen?!_ “What is it?” Liam whimpered as Stiles’ voice was changed to that of the Benefactor himself.

“I have your boyfriend, and if you want him back, go gather your pack and come get him.”

“I’m gonna kill you!” Liam snarled, eyes burning yellow as he jumped up, hurling the phone across the room to smash against the wall. The Sheriff was staring at his clawed hands in shock. The werewolf looked up, rage making his entire body shake. “Stiles has been kidnapped. The Benefactor has him, and I’m gonna rip that hunter apart!”


	51. The Benefactor’s Truth

“Where’s Scott?”

Liam looked up as Lydia pushed into the Sheriff’s office. “He’s on his way, went to get Argent first. He’s a hunter, the Benefactor is a hunter, might give us an edge if we understand him.” 

“What happened?” She sat down on the couch as Liam continued pacing in the middle of the room. “Were you here?”

“Of course I wasn’t here!” The werewolf snarled at her. “Do you think I would have let Stiles get kidnapped if I was here?”

“Liam, calm down.” Malia returned to the office with Scott and Chris Argent in tow. “Scott’s arrived.”

He nodded angrily and folded his arms, waiting until they were all inside, Parrish and the Sheriff joining them. “Ok, so, how are we gonna get Stiles back?”

“His phone is on,” The Sheriff started, “We have his GPS location. It’s in the old H&R munitions plant off Industrial Drive. The factory’s big, and we don’t know how unstable this guy is. But I doubt he’s careless enough to leave Stiles’ phone switched on; it’s a trap.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m going.” Liam muttered and made to leave, until Scott stepped in his way. The werewolf stopped moving, but didn’t look at his Alpha, rage barely held in check, hands curled into fists. “Let me go, Scott, I need to find him!”

“We all want to find Stiles, but you need to calm down, Liam.” Scott reached out to touch his shoulder, letting go quickly when Liam flicked his eyes up. “Fuck, control yourself! Your eyes are glowing.”

“But Stiles-”

“Wouldn’t want you to run head first into danger.” The Sheriff said over him, shaking his head. “Look, I appreciate that you all want to help and get Stiles out of there safely. But leave this to us. Parrish?”

“Yes, Sheriff?”

“The SWAT team from the bank hostage incident are still geared up, right?”

“Yeah, they wanted a cup of coffee before the debrief.” The Deputy nodded, understanding. “I’ll go tell them about the situation.”

“Right.” Sheriff Stilinski looked at the pack, Liam having been pushed down on the couch between Malia and Lydia. “We’ll deploy the SWAT team, take this guy out, and rescue Stiles.”

“That would be a mistake.” Argent spoke up, moving forward as the Sheriff stared at him, Parrish paused with his hand on the door knob. “This isn’t just any hunter, and he’s got more than a gun or the smoke bombs he used at Eichen.”

“What do you mean?” Liam looked up, eyes shining as he struggled to contain his emotions. “What’s he gonna do to Stiles?”

“It’s not Stiles he’s after,” Scott answered for the hunter. “It’s us. Tell them what you told me on the ride over here.”

“Ok, so this hunter, the Benefactor as he calls himself, his real name is Thomas der Schütze.”

“He said he was my nephew,” The Sheriff muttered, slumping against the edge of the desk. “That was a lie, right? Still, he knew things…”

“Actually, Sheriff, that probably was the truth.” Argent replied uncomfortably. “I reached out to my contacts on the East Coast, and it appears that several months ago the der Schütze family attempted to neutralize a pack of extremely dangerous werewolves. Their hunt was unsuccessful; one of their mercenary contacts discovered them hours after they were attacked. All but two of the hunters were dead; disembowelled, claw and fang marks on their bodies. Then a few days later, there was a massive explosion at the Salazar Chemical Refinery in Rockville. I know for a fact that the Salazars were a werewolf pack running in that area for the past few decades, nasty reputation, but any hunters who tried to contain them always met a bloody end.”

“I remember hearing about that explosion.” The Sheriff muttered, “Forty dead, hundreds wounded. They blamed a faulty gas main. Are you saying that this der Schütze guy is planning something just as bad for Beacon Hills?”

“He’s an expert at making traps and bombs, your officers don’t have a chance if they try and go in first.” Argent shrugged, “You might be able to talk him down, but…”

“We can get him.” Liam looked at the Sheriff, his voice calm, determined. He glanced at Scott, “Right?”

“Yeah.” The Alpha smiled at him reassuringly. “We’re faster and stronger, and can heal as we go.” Scott stood up as the Sheriff went to object. “You can still talk to him and see if he’s willing to let Stiles go.”

“Fine.” The Sheriff nodded, seeing their determination. “Doesn’t mean I like it. Parrish, get SWAT ready just in case, Argent, you might stay here. I need to know as much as possible about this guy before trying to talk to him.”

“Sure.” The hunter nodded, and looked at Scott and Liam. “Be careful, don’t under-estimate him.”

“Let’s do it!” Liam stood up, joined by Malia and Scott. He looked at Lydia. “Well?”

“I’m not a werewolf, I don’t-” Lydia started, before her face went slack and gaze bored through the wall.

“Lydia?” The freshman frowned at her expression, glancing at Scott. “What’s-”

“Oh no,” The Alpha muttered, “She’s not a werewolf, but she is a Banshee. And Banshees…”

“Predict death.” Parrish whispered in the silence that followed.

 

Stiles glared at the Benefactor as he was restrained against the chair, struggling grimly against the zip ties. “Why are you even doing this?”

“Because I must; it’s my duty!” Thomas finished tying him off and walked over to the bank of monitors that stood against one of the walls. “All the werewolves must be purged.”

“Even the teenage ones?”

“Especially them. Oh, they might be innocent now, but what happens when they grow up? When they start to understand that their strength is unmatched by anything that we humans have at our disposal?” The Benefactor shook his head. “No, they can’t be trusted to live their lives in peace, they are monsters, just waiting for the chance to kill us all. We need to strike first!”

“Seriously?” Stiles frowned at his back. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Death happened.” Thomas turned to face him, expression shifting between fury and his usual cold demeanour. “My family is dead, all of them. Oh, sure, they adopted me, but I’m a hunter just as much as they were, not some filthy werewolf lover!”

Stiles rolled his eyes as Thomas spat the words at him. “Dude, have you seen their bodies? Kinda hard to pass up on muscular perfection!”

“Shut up.” The Benefactor glanced at the screens, before turning back to him. “That _muscular perfection_ you admire so much, is actually what started all this. And no, it’s not about a girl or a boy, or something so sappy. My brother, Alfie, was bitten by an Alpha; a hunt went bad and he was left behind, but when we came back for him, he wasn’t there, wasn’t dead either.”

“Hunter’s code, right?” Stiles asked quietly. “He had to die?”

“That’s right, the one tenet that never changes no matter what hunter family you’re from.” Thomas nodded at him. “An attack on one of us is an attack on us all, so, we set out to find the pack responsible and put them down, like the animals they were.”

“I’m guessing that didn’t work out so well for you?”

“Alfie gave us up, they tortured him, ripped him apart, only the werewolf healing kept him alive. I wasn’t there when it happened, when the pack came for us at our home.” The Benefactor’s voice was quieter now, his eyes fixed on a point above Stiles’ head. “It was a massacre, they didn’t just kill the adult hunters and the hunters-in-training, but the kids, the maid, the butler, everyone was butchered. Sure, we got a few of them. But not enough.”

“Fuck.” Stiles muttered in the silence that followed. He tested the tightness of the zip ties, but they still cut into his wrists. _Ok, Stiles, try and be sympathetic, maybe we can talk him down before Liam and Scott get here._ “Um, I know it probably doesn’t account for much. Thomas, but I’m sorry. I-”

“I killed my own brother because he was a werewolf,” The Benefactor looked at him suddenly, all traces of his earlier vulnerability erased. “And ever since then, I have carved a bloody streak across the country, culling werewolves wherever I found them. All to come here.”

“Here? Beacon Hills?”

“Scott McCall is a True Alpha, that event is rare enough to spread quickly amongst their kind.”

 _Oh, shit._ Stiles swallowed hard. “You want him dead, I get it, but why him specifically?”

“He is the root of all their evil; an Alpha that doesn’t need to kill to gain power? No, he’s too dangerous to be allowed to live.” The Benefactor shook his head, looking at Stiles’ expression. “You’ve only seen him when the situation is winnable, you don’t understand the monster he’ll become once he kills for the first time, and death toll that will follow from his carnage.”

“Ok, I don’t know what they teach you in hunter school, but Scott isn’t like that.” Stiles shook his head furiously. “He doesn’t kill people, he goes out of his way to avoid it! He’s not even going to kill you, despite all the supernaturals you’ve had killed.” _Liam could be a problem though…_

“You know, it was a chance encounter with Meredith that set the deadpool in motion.” The Benefactor ignored his argument, grimacing, his hand clutched to his chest. “Fuck.”

“You’re hurt.”

“She has quite the gift, and the idea was all there, just sitting in her brain, waiting for it to be executed.” He carried on speaking, walking back to the monitors. “But once I started, and watched as you and the werewolves repeatedly foiled my assassinations, I knew that I should go back to my roots. I’m a trap-maker, best in the family; capture, wound, maim, kill, whatever you need, I can do it!”

“I’ve got a bad feeling about where this is heading.” Stiles muttered and turned his head towards the door. “You’ve put a lot of preparation into this.”

“I always planned for this moment; expected the werewolves to crash down the door.” The Benefactor smirked coldly. 

“You do realize that we’re in a box here?” Stiles stared at him, “When they break through that door, and they will, you’ll have nowhere to run to.”

Thomas laughed softly. “And they’ll just be proving my point then. Let them come, let their animalistic natures run wild.” He grinned suddenly as an alarm began flashing, bathing the room in amber light. “They just tripped the perimeter sensors. Showtime!”

Stiles felt his heart hammering in his chest, looking over at the monitor, seeing Liam and Scott running towards the entrance. “Fuck.” He looked around frantically, eyes passing over a large wooden crate in the center of the room, red letters stamped on the side. Stiles frowned when he heard a click, but couldn’t see what the Benefactor was doing. _Damn it, Liam, you better be careful, c’mon, pup, you can do it. Get me outta here!_


	52. The Gauntlet of Terror!

Liam grunted as he kicked down the sturdy metal doors that led into the main complex. The Sheriff had told them that the signal from Stiles’ phone was buried in the heart of the building. “Ok, let’s go.”

“Wait for us,” Brett called out to Liam as he and Kira joined them. Scott was grinning, but Liam just scowled.

“What are you doing here? We don’t need your help.”

“Yes, we do.” Scott clapped Brett on the shoulder. “We have no idea what we’re heading into, so the more werewolves the better.”

“Plus, I owe Scott one.” He hesitated before adding,” And the Benefactor is responsible for over half my pack getting wiped out, we don’t believe in revenge, but he has to be stopped.”

“I believe in revenge!” Liam snarled and rushed forward, only to find himself getting pinned to the wall by Brett, the taller werewolf grabbing his shirt and lifting him up so they were looking at each other evenly. “Let me go!” The Freshman growled, legs dangling uselessly. 

“Look, we’re here to help you, to get Stiles back, not watch you wolf out and kill someone, even a monster like the Benefactor.” Brett waited until he stopped struggling and then put him back on the ground gently. “Now, let’s be smart about this, ok?”

“Fine.” Liam muttered, his cheeks burning. _That was so embarrassing…Here to help, or here to keep me in line?_ He moved forward as Scott nodded his thanks at the other werewolf., leading them into a narrow corridor. It stretched for several hundred feet, ending in a grey steel door. Scott walked up beside him and Liam glanced at the Alpha. “Do you hear that?”

“Uh huh, like an engine, or a generator.” Scott took the lead and they began to advance slowly up the hallway, Liam following him as Brett and Kira came after him and Malia guarded their rear, her claws already out. “I don’t like this.”

“Are you gonna say it’s too quiet too?” Brett smirked when Liam glared at him. “Just trying to lighten the mood.”

“My boyfriend is-” Liam jumped backwards suddenly as a crossbow bolt cut across the space where his chest would have been moments before. “Fuck!”

Scott whirled around, ducking quickly as another bolt fired out of the wall and sliced through his shirt, grazing his back. “Ah!”

“Everyone stay still!” Kira yelled out, pointing at where the first bolt had come from. “Do you see those three dots? Like lasers.”

“Shit.” Scott muttered, “They’re triggered whenever we disrupt the lines. Ok, everyone just stay still for a moment.”

Liam frowned, anxiety making his pulse tick higher. _I have to get to Stiles!_ “Can’t we do something?”

“Run and hope we get lucky?” Malia suggested, adding quickly when his eyes lit up, “I actually wasn’t serious that time.”

“Yeah, but, see?” Liam reached down and broke the lasers from the trap nearest him. “It doesn’t reload. It’s single shot. I can do it.”

“Liam, that’s-”

“I’m doing it, Scott.” He glared at the older werewolf determinedly, attempting to push past him, but Scott put out a hand to stop him. “Hey!”

“We’ll both do it, so if one of the bolts hits me, you can keep going.” The Alpha grinned at him and Liam nodded. “Ok, guys, follow us after a few seconds.” He nodded, and Liam shrunk down, tensing his legs. “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

“Go!” Scott took off first, Liam charging after him. The traps triggered at a rapid rate, the bolts firing out and splintering against the walls, smashing into the floor as the werewolves flailed wildly, their forearms cut and bleeding, blocking the projectiles from hitting their torsos. Scott grunted as he neared the door, a crossbow bolt catching him in the thigh. “Argh! No, keep going!” He shouted as Liam paused to help him, the Beta leaning back to avoid another serrated arrow as it spiralled across his chest, tearing a bloody line along his pectoral muscles.

“Ow!” Liam flinched but began to run again, triggering the rest of the traps, before collapsing against the door, his arms cut and bleeding. “Made it!”

 

“Huh.” The Benefactor glanced back at Stiles, “Your friends have made it past the first section. Impressive.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet.” He glared at the hunter, grimacing as the plastic zip ties chaffed against his skin. “You can still let this end another way, Thomas, just let me go, deactivate the traps.”

“And what? I’ll be spared?” The Benefactor arched a brow and laughed. “No, the fun won’t stop until they open that door.” He nodded at the only exit in the room, and turned back to look at the monitors. “Round two, begin!” 

 

Scott gritted his teeth as Malia pulled the notched bolt from his leg. “Fuuuuck! Gah, at least it wasn’t poisoned.”

“Yeah, aren’t we lucky?” Kira muttered, tearing a strip from her shirt to wrap around Scott’s thigh. “It’s deep, you’ll take a while to heal.”

“I’ll manage.” He stood up, using Brett and Liam to steady him. “What is this room?”

“It’s hot.” Liam frowned, taking a step forward. He looked down as the tile he was standing on sunk into the floor. “Uh, guys?”

“Get down!” Malia screamed, a sheet of flame racing across the room at head height.

 _Who is this guy? It’s like a video game, a very real, very dangerous game…_ Liam thought as he dropped to the floor next to Brett. “What are we meant to do this time? Crawl on our stomachs?”

“That might be a problem.” Brett rolled over and pulled the Freshman back with him, the part of the floor where they had been lying glowing red hot and catching on fire, spreading across the middle of the room. They scrambled upright, the fire overhead disappearing. “This is insane!”

“Yeah.” Scott agreed breathlessly, pointing at the wall across from them as gouts of flame shot out, covering their access to the only door out of the room, the floor tiles no longer burning. “But we have to go forward.”

“We can heal through fire, though, right?” Liam looked at him, “Stiles said that Peter-”

“That took years!” Scott broke in, shaking his head. “We need to figure something else out, maybe go back and find another way in.”

“Fuck that!” Liam grumbled and made to run out across the floor, before screaming and jumping back when the fire shot out at head height again. He was pulled down by Scott and Malia. “Thanks.”

“Just keep calm, Liam, we’re rescuing him.” Scott glared at him. “But we have to be smart about this, like Stiles would be.” They got to their feet as the fire overhead stopped and the floor ignited again. “Huh.”

“You see it too, right?” Brett looked at them, counting under his breath. “…and five! Yeah, I thought so.” The fire on the floor went out, and the wall torches began to bathe the area in front of the exit with flames.

“What is it?” Liam looked between them, frowning as they grinned. “What?!”

“There’s a pattern,” Scott explained, signalling for them to crouch down. “First the ceiling jets of flame, then the floor, and finally the area around the door. Every five seconds they shift, and then there’s…yeah, two seconds when the room is safe. We need to keep moving: cross the floor when the wall torches fire and then break the door down before the floor ignites.”

“That’ll be close.” 

“We can do it.” Scott gripped his shoulder hard, seeing Liam nod determinedly. “Ok.”

 

“Hah!” Stiles shouted as he watched Liam and Scott break through the door of the fire room and escape the jets of flame with little more than singed clothing. “You’re gonna need more than fire to keep them out!”

“Oh, don’t worry, Stiles, I have more than fire in my arsenal.” The Benefactor smirked at him, and pressed a button on the console in front of him. “I assume you know what a werewolf’s greatest weakness is?”

 _Oh no._ Stiles stared at the screens in horror as the room Liam and his friends were in suddenly brightened. Large pylons stood in a cluster at the center. “Electricity.” But then Stiles grinned suddenly. _You haven’t noticed our secret weapon, have you?_

 

Kira strode into the center of the room, her aura flaring around her as Liam hung back with Scott and Malia, Brett was kneeling down as he healed from a nasty burn along his arm. The Freshman watched open-mouthed as the Kitsune extended her hand and the electricity that had been building up in the pylons jumped out, flowing through her instead of frying them. “Awesome!”

“Just watch.” Scott grinned at him, as Kira directed the energy back towards the pylon, overloading it in seconds. A shower of sparks erupted from the top and exploded around them. “Thanks!”

“I feel kinda refreshed after that.” Kira smiled brightly and gestured for them to cross the room. “It should be safe now.”

“Yeah,” Liam nodded, sniffing the air. “Stiles was here, not too long ago. We’re close.” He waited for Scott to open the door, instead of rushing off like he had done last time. The Freshman frowned, wrinkling his nose, “What’s that smell? It’s like…burning?”

“Wolfsbane.” Scott muttered. “Why did it have to be wolfsbane?” He looked around with a grin as the others groaned. “You like that? See what I did?”

“I don’t get it.” Liam stared at him. 

“Really? Stiles hasn’t made you watch _Indiana Jones_ yet?” Malia looked at him, smirking. “Be thankful!”

“Um, ok.” The werewolf looked back at the hallway, seeing a strange white mist gathering at the end of the corridor. “Hey, see those boxes attached to the wall? I think that’s what causing the wolfsbane to come out.”

“Yeah, and it’s getting closer.” Scott’s expression became serious. He took a deep breath and looked at the pack. “Ok, it’s not Mountain Ash, so we can go through it, but it’s gonna hurt. I’ll run in first and break those boxes so we’ll only have the gas at the end to deal with. As an Alpha, I’ll be able to heal through it, for a while at least.”

“Thanks, Scott.” Liam muttered, _I’d never get through that mist. Or the electricity room, or the fire room…_ He nodded as Scott gave him the thumbs up, watching the Alpha race along the hallway, punching the boxes inwards so that they crumpled up and the gas was kept trapped within.

“C’mon! This way, the room ahead is clear!” Scott shouted back to them, coughing and spluttering. “Hurry, we’ll close the door to keep the gas from spreading any further.”

 

“Damn it!” The Benefactor swore under his breath, slamming his fists onto the table in front of him. “Persistent little…”

Stiles smirked when Thomas looked at him. “Told you they’re not giving up, and now, they’re right outside! It’s over!”

“No, not yet.” The Benefactor placed a gun on the table and glanced at him again. “Let them come, if my traps don’t kill them, then I guess I’ll have to get my hands dirty after all.”

Stiles frowned at him. _This feels off, as though he was expecting them to get this far. As though he wants them to._ He glanced at the door and then looked over at the large wooden crate in the middle of the room, it was three feet high, ten long, and something about the red letters on the side made Stiles’ heart beat a little faster. _What is in there?_

 

Liam inched forward as Brett and Kira stayed beside Scott, the Alpha coughing badly, blood running down his chin from inhaling the wolfsbane. He paused next to Malia, and looked back at them. “Are you ok? He’s gonna be ok, right?”

“Yeah, ugh, damn.” Scott managed, spitting out another mouthful of blood. “Be careful, that trap was meant to kill us.”

“With skills like these, why did the Benefactor even bother with assassins?” Liam muttered to himself, walking forward slowly. He frowned, throwing out his arm to stop Malia, but it was too late.

“Argh!” She screamed out, a metal spike penetrating her foot. “Fucking, argh!”

“Ok, ok, don’t move!” Liam cried, and knelt beside her. He heard another yell of agony and glanced over his shoulder to see Brett on his side, clutching his leg, a rack of bloody spikes slowly withdrawing into the wall. “Shit! No one move!”

Malia’s eyes glowed blue and she gripped Liam’s forearm hard, using him to wrench her foot off the spike. “Rawwr!” The barbed point retracted into the floor with a hiss and she fell onto her back, groaning. Liam made to help her, but she tightened her grip and pulled him towards her. “Find Stiles.”

“Ok.” Liam nodded furiously and looked up as Scott lurched across to him, ducking a circular saw that spun out of the ceiling. Kira was using the remains of her shirt to staunch the blood from Brett’s wounded leg. Liam stood and helped Scott make it to the door. 

“Liam!”

“What?”

“You’re bleeding!” Scott pointed at his arm, his pullover soaked through with his blood, but the Beta shrugged.

“I know, it’ll heal. We have to get Stiles.” Liam glanced back at the others. “We’ve made it this far, we can do it Scott. We have to.”

“Let’s hope this is the last door.” Scott offered him an encouraging grin and together they shoulder-charged it. “Rawr!”

 

Stiles looked up as the door crashed open, Scott and Liam falling through it. “Watch out, he’s got a gun!” He tried to warn them, seeing Liam’s eyes burn yellow, claws and fangs appearing suddenly. _Now you’re in for it! Time to go full-wolf on his ass, Liam!_

“RAWRR!” Liam roared loudly and ran straight at the Benefactor, letting Scott get to Stiles. As he leapt over the crate and dove towards the hunter, the werewolf drew on all the rage and anger and upset that had been bubbling inside him since that night at Eichen and released it in the first furious strike, smashing him backwards, his nose breaking and blood spurting out. Liam didn’t hear the snapping of plastic as Stiles was freed, instead jumping onto the Benefactor’s chest, his knee driving the air from the man’s lungs. “Rawrr!” Words failed him as the werewolf snarled and clawed the hunter’s face ruthlessly, hands turning into fists as he punched the unresisting man. A haze of red descended on him and Liam bared his fangs, ready to give into his animalistic urges, preparing to rip the Benefactor’s throat out.

“No!” Stiles cried out, and together with Scott, he grabbed Liam’s arms, pulling the werewolf off the hunter. He forced Liam’s eyes to look into his own, his voice returning from a shout. “No, Liam, don’t. I’m safe. He doesn’t need to die.”

“But he…”

“We don’t kill people, Liam, not even if they deserve it.” Scott said, glaring at the Benefactor as the hunter grabbed the edge of the crate to help himself stand. “It’s over. You won’t die, but you will answer for what you’ve done.”

Liam glared at Stiles, but the expression softened as his boyfriend held out his hand and the werewolf accepted, getting up. The anger drained away, still trapped under the surface but no longer controlling his actions. Liam kissed him quickly, before pushing Stiles behind him protectively. “We have what we came for, Scott, let’s just leave.”

“Just like that?” The Benefactor laughed at them through bloodied teeth. “No, you can’t leave yet; I’ve got you exactly where I needed you to be; weak, wounded, but even better than all that, your precious boyfriend just proved everything that I told you, Stiles.”

Liam looked at Stiles, but the teenager avoided his eyes, scent shifting from anger to fear. The werewolf shot the hunter a glance. “What do you mean?”

“You give in so easily to your violent natures; ripping, tearing, slashing; killing everything that makes you mad.” The Benefactor grunted in pain and spat out a mouthful of blood, followed by a tooth. 

“You lured us here, baited us, then trapped us, and suddenly we’re the monsters?” Scott stared at the hunter. “Liam is angry, you took his boyfriend, my best friend, just be thankful that I don’t-”

“Repeat your assault on the men at Argent Arms?” Thomas interrupted him softly, smirking when Scott hesitated. “They were mercenaries, I’ve used them before, and they wear body cams. I saw what you did; claws out, digging in, ripping that man’s chest apart. Your features twisting and shifting, so close to revealing the monster you are under the surface.”

“What’s he talking about, Scott?” Stiles asked, grimacing as his face ached, the bruises and cuts still not healed. “Liam, do you know?”

“It’s not the same.” The True Alpha growled. “That soldier was about to shoot a little girl!”

“That’s your excuse this time. And next time?”

“There won’t be a next time.” Scott snarled, eyes red and claws reaching out for the hunter.

“Kill me,” Thomas smirked. “Prove my point beyond a doubt.”

Stiles watched as Scott’s arm shook for a moment before steadying. He called out to his friend. “We don’t kill people, Scott, remember? That’s your one rule.”

“I remember.” The Alpha lowered his hand, “Let’s go.”

“We’re just leaving him here?” Liam cried out, gesturing angrily at the hunter. “We have to-”

“They can’t.” The Benefactor laughed darkly. “But you can, and I would love to be the reason for you to break your own code. After all, it’s why I’m here. Sure, you dying at the hand of an assassin would have been just as good. But, I was expecting you to kill at least one of them.”

“We don’t-”

“I know you say that, Stiles.” Thomas shook his head. “But you’re wrong. They will kill someone, Scott came so close already. In fact, it seems that I got here just in time. But then, so did you.” The hunter grinned suddenly and tugged off the lid of the crate. “End game.”

 _What the…oh, shit, that’s C4, and packets of nails and bolts, and that…that must be…_ Stiles reached out to grab Liam and Scott’s arms pulling them back. “That’s a layer of powdered yellow wolfsbane. We need to move!”

“Stiles, there’s a counter on it.” Scott cried out, pushing them backwards as the hunter watched them leave, a smile playing around his lips. “Go!”

“You’re crazy, Thomas!” Stiles shouted at the Benefactor as Scott and Liam pushed him into the blade room, the Malia and Brett standing up, their wounds healing slowly. “You’ll die too!” 

“I’m already a dead man, Stiles.” The Benefactor pulled off his coat and opened his shirt, revealing three long jagged claw wounds, black and oozing. “I have fought the Bite for months, so I don’t really care anymore.” He turned back towards the box, calling out as they gathered the others and rushed towards the long corridor. “You have thirty seconds; you triggered the timer by bursting through the door.”

“I think the traps are disabled!” Kira shouted to them as Stiles helped Malia hobble down the hallway, wolfsbane mist clinging to their ankles, Liam was right behind him, one arm around Brett’s waist, the werewolf gasping in pain from his wounds and the mist seeping into them. 

Stiles frowned as he passed through the other two trap rooms, seeing blinking red lights in the walls and spaces where traps used to be. “The entire building is rigged to blow! He’s got C4 everywhere!”

“Hurry!” Liam cried as he and Brett were shoved down the final hallway by Scott. “Go! Go! Go!” He threw Brett forwards into the fresh air, his heart hammering when Stiles paused at the entrance. “Stiles!”

The teenager looked back along the corridor, seeing through every room until his eyes met that of the hunter, standing in the doorway. Time slowed to a crawl as he saw the Benefactor raise his arms, silhouetted against the expanding wall of flame. A heartbeat later and the C4 detonated fully, the building collapsing as the explosive force threw them all forward, Liam protecting Stiles with his body, hugging him tight as clouds of super-heated air and shattered concrete shards flew over them. “I have you!”

 

Liam groaned and rolled over as Stiles coughed and spluttered, waving the dust out of his face. He looked up immediately, “Stiles? Stiles?! Are you ok?”

“Yeah, fuck, yeah, I think so.” Stiles looked down at his legs, holding his arms and hands upright. “Yeah, everything’s where it should be. Can’t hear anything though, my ears are ringing!”

“I can hear you fine!” Liam leaned away from him as his boyfriend shouted at him.

“WHAT?”

“I can, oh, never mind.” He leaned in and kissed Stiles hard, smiling as his boyfriend gave him the thumbs up. The werewolf helped him stand, and they looked around at the remains of the factory, secondary explosions going off in the background as gas lines ruptured. Liam grinned as Scott picked his way over broken masonry towards them. Malia and Brett following him, as Kira dusted herself off. He glanced at Stiles, hugging him tight. “It’s alright, it’s finally over. The Benefactor is dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lot longer than normal, but I really wanted to give the Benefactor arc a strong finish. I never liked how they did it in the show; it just seemed to fizzle out and then they were immediately on to the Kate Argent plot, which was the finale of the season, whereas they had spent the majority of the episodes on the deadpool and the Benefactor. This is a significant divergence from canon, but I wanted Liam to realize the value of his pack and having allies at his side to help him, and not just try and rush in and do everything himself.
> 
> This is not the end of the story, and there'll be a few fluff chapters next week as the characters calm down after what just happened to them, and I'd say we're about three quarters of the way through. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, more is on the way!


	53. Liam's Decision

“So, how’s this gonna start?” Liam glanced at Stiles as he fiddled with the edge of a cushion. He looked up as Scott walked through the living room to open the door, ushering Malia and Lydia in. “Stiles?”

“Sorry.” The older teenager muttered, taking his hands away from his face, tracing over the raised ridges of the gauze dressing along his jaw. “Um, just relax, and we’ll do most of the talking. It’s just to let everyone know what my Dad is doing to cover us from the explosion.”

Liam frowned and reached over to put his hand on top of Stiles’. “Does it hurt?”

“No, it’s fine; the pain-killers are pretty effective, even if I feel a bit, err, woozy.”

“Maybe I should drive, when we’re leaving, I mean?”

“Sure, pup.” Stiles murmured, barely loud enough for Liam to hear him. He sat back in the couch, waves of tiredness rolling over him, watching the rest of his friends gather in Scott’s living room. Kira was talking quietly to Lydia and Malia, giving them an update on her Mom’s condition, while Scott opened the door for the last time and welcomed Brett in. Stiles felt Liam tense up beside him, and looked at him. “What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“Brett?” Stiles glanced between the two of them; the other werewolf nodding politely. “He’s our ally, Liam.”

“I know.” The Beta muttered, turning his head to whisper into Stiles’ ear. “I just…I feel bad about how I acted towards him in Devenford.”

“Do you have some sexy secret to share with me?” Stiles smirked as Liam frowned at him and shook his head rapidly. “Would’ve been pretty hot, though, right?”

“Shut up, Stiles!” Liam glared at him, seeing the corners of Brett’s mouth twitch upwards. He was about to say more when Scott nodded at Stiles and his boyfriend sprung up a little unsteadily.

“Ok, so, first off; thank you for coming to rescue me!” He grinned at them as they rolled their eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I know you guys were gonna come save the day anyway, but at the same time, you risked life and limb, and I want you all to know I’m grateful.”

“You really think we were gonna leave you with that crazy hunter, Stiles?” Scott laughed, looking at Liam. “Besides, we didn’t have much of a choice.”

“I’m gonna ignore that last part, even if Liam would have made an awesome one-wolf rescue team!” Stiles smiled good-naturedly, casting his eyes over to his boyfriend, relief sweeping through him as he saw Liam grinning too. “But, just so everyone is clear on the cover for the explosion; none of us were there, there’s no trace of us at the scene, the only people who knew you were coming for me were my Dad, Parrish, and Argent. So, we’re good. If anyone asks, just make something up: we were studying together, or practicing lacrosse.” Stiles looked meaningfully at Liam.

“I got it.”

“Good.” Scott picked up the conversation. “And thank your Dad and Parrish too, Stiles, we would never have gotten out of there before Fire & Rescue arrived without them. Did the, um, the deputies find anything?”

“About the Benefactor?” Stiles waited for his nod. “No, no trace. He was completely immolated by the blast. Just as well, with those claw wounds. How the hell was he still alive after weeks of resisting it?”

“He might have been like Gerard.” Scott replied. “Maybe he deliberately took Mountain Ash to try and slow down the effects of the Bite?”

“Right.” He frowned at the coffee table. _Maybe it’s better that they don’t know he was my cousin, let that connection die with him._ “Either way, he’s dead.”

“You’re sure about that, Stiles?” Liam looked at him, worry creasing his otherwise cute face.

“Sure,” Stiles grinned at him. “You got nothing to worry about, pu…err, pancakes.” He flushed as Liam glared at him and Malia smirked. Scott frowned, but before he could talk to Stiles, Liam stood up. 

“Um, I know Stiles already thanked you guys.” He started awkwardly, scuffing his shoes on the rug and looking over their heads at the kitchen behind Scott. “But, um, I wanted to, err, say that, uh, I, well, sometimes I can be a bit, um, hot-headed, I guess, and, um, thanks for putting up with me to rescue Stiles.” Liam flushed in the silence that followed. “Um, yeah, that’s all I wanted to say.”

Stiles grinned and pulled Liam down onto his lap, hugging him from behind. “Aww, Liam! You’re growing as a person!” 

“Shut up!” The werewolf laughed, squirming in his grip as the mood in the room turned light and jovial. Brett was smirking at him, but Liam didn’t care that he was sitting on Stiles, feeling like he was finally part of the group. _Scott’s pack…_

 

Liam slid off Stiles as his boyfriend urged him back onto his side of the couch. “Did I hurt you?”

“No, no, pain-killers are still working.” He muttered, looking at his phone. “It’s something else.” 

“Guys, I know we defeated the Benefactor and stopped the deadpool,” Scott spoke before Liam could question Stiles further. “But I got a bad feeling about Kate Argent and her Berserkers. They’re still out there, even Argent doesn’t know what his sister is up to, and she somehow managed to steal Derek’s powers and make him human again.”

“Interesting.” Stiles muttered, “I know you told me before, but with the deadpool, I must have forgotten the significance of that. It might be a cure for an unwilling werewolf, but we don’t know why she was doing it, and somehow, I don’t think she was hoping to come up with a remedy for lycanthropy. Turning into a werewolf.” He added as Liam frowned in confusion. Stiles stood up, hands raised to stop Scott from talking again. The doorbell rang and the Alpha stared at him. “But, let’s not worry about that just yet and enjoy the fact that once again Beacon Hills is safe thanks to-”

“We’re not adopting a superhero team name, Stiles.” Lydia broke in, shaking her head. “Not the _Warrior Werewolves!_ ” 

“Or the _Luscious Lycanthropes!_ ” Malia added.

“Or _Scott’s Squad of Wolfie Wonders!_ ” Scott said with a grin as Stiles huffed and grunted at them.

“Fine…let me get the door, I got you all pizza to celebrate our victory.” He turned away as Liam laughed and Brett stared at him. “Hey, how much? Fifty? Uh…”

“Hang on, Stiles.” Scott stood up and pulled out his wallet as Lydia and Kira reached into their bags. Liam pulled ten dollars from his pocket and pressed the cash into Stiles’ hand.

“Thanks, guys.” Stiles grinned and took the stack of pizzas from the delivery boy and offered them to Liam. “Bring those to the table. I got soda earlier, it’s in the kitchen.”

After the soda was poured and the boxes opened, Liam grabbed a slice and gestured for Stiles to follow him to the window seat. He took a bite, trying to figure out how he was going to say it. “Um, Stiles?”

“Yeah, Liam, what is it?”

“I, um, I want to tell my parents.” He gestured vaguely with the half-eaten slice. “About this, the werewolves. But, err, do I need to tell Scott, or ask his permission, or something?”

“No.” Stiles shook his head, smiling as the Alpha crossed the room. “But, uh, hang on. Scott?! C’mere!”

“What?” 

“Liam wants to tell his parents about being a werewolf.” Stiles explained as his best friend leaned against the wall. “That’s alright, isn’t it?”

“Err, yeah? Of course.”

“Oh, I thought maybe you had to ok it, or something?” Liam muttered, finishing his pizza as Scott and Stiles exchanged a smirk. “My step-dad has been asking me all these questions and I keep dodging him, but eventually he’s gonna demand to know what’s going on in Beacon Hills and all these strange incidents, and I don’t want to lie to him anymore. Mom isn’t here most of the time so, she doesn’t see it to the same extent that he does.”

“That’s a good idea, Liam.” Scott nodded. “Neither of us were eager to tell our parents at first, but, trust me, it’ll be ok. We’re here for you.”

“Um, I was hoping you might actually be there, Stiles.” Liam looked at his boyfriend pleadingly, not realizing that his bottom lip was sticking out.

“Ah, yeah, sure.” Stiles replied, grinning. _Wow! He looks so cute like that!_ He blinked and nodded. “So, when were you planning on telling them?”

“Tonight?” He looked between their surprised expressions. “If I don’t do it tonight, he could ambush me tomorrow; he’s on the night shift and-”

“It’s ok,” Stiles rested his hand on Liam’s shoulder reassuringly. “I’ll come with you, explain what I can, maybe tomorrow Scott can come over and answer any specific werewolf questions for them, right?” He looked at the Alpha, who nodded. “But, Scott; no red eyes.”

“Really, Stiles?” Scott laughed, “I’ll try and restrain myself from terrorizing them.”

“That’s all we can ask for from the Luscious-”

“Don’t!” Scott cut across him, and looked at Liam, “We have your back, Liam, however you want to tell them.”

“Thanks guys.” Liam grinned at them, his heart feeling light and carefree as Scott and Stiles continued to argue about werewolf superhero names. _So, this is what a pack feels like; family, friends, like being with Stiles all the time. Huh._


	54. An Anchored Wolf

Liam followed Stiles outside, nodding at the gleaming blue Jeep sitting on Scott’s driveway. “I can’t believe that your Jeep survived the explosion.”

“Roscoe’s tough!” Stiles replied proudly, patting the dented metal of the hood, feeling Liam’s stare. He shrugged. “Ok, so, maybe he’s a bit more dented than before, what with the plywood and steel that fell all around him, but all my baby needed was a good carwash to get all the dust off.”

“Your baby?”

“Aww, don’t be jealous, Liam!” Stiles grinned mischievously at him. “You’re still my pup!”

“Thanks.” Liam muttered, getting in beside him. “I’m ready.”

“Are you sure you don’t want Scott to come?”

“Yeah, I mean, he might be able to just show them, but you’ve been the one who’s really helped me control my anger better and not hurt anyone.” Liam looked at his hands as they drove away from Scott’s street. “It has to be you when I tell them. I don’t…I don’t want to lose control in case they don’t understand.”

“Right.” Stiles smiled at him. “It’ll be alright, pup, you’re not going to hurt anyone, but this isn’t like telling them you’re gay, this is a completely new concept and they might freak out. So, we’re going to show them first and then explain everything. Does that sound good?”

“Yeah.” The werewolf grinned, reaching over to touch Stiles’ hand. He let go as they turned into his street and pulled in opposite Liam’s house. Both his step-father’s and his mother’s cars were in the drive. Liam released his belt but made no move to get out of the Jeep, looking over at the house.

“Liam?”

“I know.”

“Are we getting out?” Stiles asked him quietly. “This is your decision, remember, you don’t have to tell them if you don’t want to.”

“But I have to, I can’t keep lying to them.” He glanced at Stiles. “And we both know that just because the Benefactor is dead, it doesn’t mean that everything is going to be ok forever. They need to know the truth.”

“I love you.” Stiles said and leaned over to kiss Liam’s cheek. “And I’m here for you.”

“Thanks,” Liam grinned at him, nodding. “Let’s go.”

 

Stiles stood up as Dr Geyer and Mrs Dunbar entered the living room, Liam hurrying over to stand beside him. “Hi, I’m Stiles.”

“I know,” Liam’s Mom smiled at him. “He’s told me a lot about you, all very good things!”

“Oh,” Stiles glanced at his boyfriend, seeing his cheeks tinged with pink. He smiled again. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Dunbar, and you too, Dr Geyer, again.”

“Stiles.” The doctor frowned at him, “How’s the face? Any problems with the stiches?”

“No, no, it’s just sore.”

“That’s to be expected, you’re still taking the medication, right?”

“Yeah.” Stiles nodded slowly, looking at Liam, seeing him bob his head. “Um, but, uh, that’s not why we’re here. We, Liam, has something to tell you.”

“Well, I know you’re not pregnant!” Dr Geyer laughed as he sat next to his wife. The expression slid off his face as Liam swallowed nervously. “Alright, Liam, what’s going on?”

“That’s the thing, isn’t it?” Liam wet his lips, staring at the floor. “You don’t know what’s going on; it’s not a police thing, or even an FBI thing, it’s a…a wolf thing.”

“Liam, what do you mean?” Dr Geyer spoke after a minute of unbearable silence. “Is this…drugs?”

“No, nothing like that. But, um, it’s easy, once you see it.” Stiles reached over and squeezed Liam’s hand reassuringly. “You’ll have to show them.”

“I know.” He muttered, raising his head, forehead morphing into a hard, ridged brow, his eyes glowing yellow rings, fangs filling his mouth, as he growled, low, animalistic. “I’m a werewolf.”

 

“Ok, ok! Why don’t we all just calm down?!” Stiles shouted over the screaming and yelling from Liam’s parents. “Shut up!” He glared at them as they finally stopped making noise. “Good. Now then.” Stiles stood in front of Liam and pushed his boyfriend behind him, holding out his hands peacefully. “Ok, Dr Geyer, I know this came as a shock, but that knife is not going to help you right now, especially against him, so, why don’t you put it down and we can talk about this.” _I have never seen someone react that fast before. The way he flicked out that penknife? Not that it would stop my pup._ He swallowed as the man glared at him.

“I don’t know what that is, but it’s not Liam.”

“Yes, it is. He was bitten by another werewolf a few weeks ago, an Alpha, Liam is a Beta, he’s part of pack.” Stiles explained, turning to Liam’s Mom. “This is going to be a lot to take in, but I promise that he is still your son, he’s just different, better actually.”

“He has…fangs, and claws!”

“Yes, he does.” Stiles acknowledged her words, feeling Liam’s hands bunch in the fabric of his pullover. “But he also has the ability to heal and regenerate rapidly. Things that would kill or seriously wound us, he’ll heal in seconds. He’s immune to disease and most infections, he has increased senses and…speed.” _Better not to mention increased strength in combo with the IED, they might freak out even more._ Stiles looked back at Dr Geyer, “And he is not a threat, just a werewolf.”

“So, you’re not a werewolf?” Dr Geyer’s hand lowered, as he looked increasingly unsure. “You’re human?”

“That’s right. My face?” Stiles gestured at himself, “If I was a werewolf, this would all be healed instantly. You remember the lacrosse accident at the start of the training season? You know that his ankle was broken, you saw the swelling.”

“I did.”

“But a day later Liam was perfectly fine, hell, he even ran to school that morning.” Stiles said, a touch of pride in his voice. “You didn’t think that was odd?”

“Hang on, you said that they, um, werewolves, heal instantly?” Dr Geyer blinked and put the penknife down on the table. 

“Yeah.” Stiles nodded, reaching back to force his hand into one of his boyfriend’s. “Liam was only turned that night.”

“I see.” Mrs Dunbar glanced at her husband and then looked over Stiles’ shoulder. “Honey, why didn’t you tell us sooner?”

Liam’s face returned to normal and he stepped out from behind Stiles, still clutching his hand tightly, although he was staring at the floor, not daring to look up at his parents. “I couldn’t tell you, I barely knew what was happening, I…if it wasn’t for Stiles, I would have done something stupid or dangerous or, um, hurt someone.”

“But you didn’t?”

“He’s my anchor; he keeps me human even when the wolf just wants to take over.” Liam smiled at Stiles, looking at him and then quickly glancing at his parents. “Stiles has kept me safe, even rescued me a couple of times.”

“So, I was right all along.” Dr Geyer glared at them, “Those excuses were all lies? Your father is in on this?”

“Yeah, my Dad knows.” Stiles nodded. “He has to, as Sheriff, he can help keep the secret better, and cover up when things don’t go according to plan. There’s something else you need to know: there are…things that have tried to hurt us, kill us even.”

“Oh, god.” Liam’s mother covered her mouth with her hand. “And your father fought them off?”

“No.” Stiles muttered, shaking his head, before looking up at her. “We do.”

“Your face.” Dr Geyer stared at him, working it out.

“Yeah, I’m just human, so, most of the time, it’s Liam putting his life on the line for me.”

“That’s not true, Stiles!” The werewolf protested. “You saved me from the Orphans when they trapped me down the well!”

“The forest, Liam getting lost.” Stiles explained as Dr Geyer frowned.

“And then there was the time you faced the Chemist to help us get the cure. He held you at gunpoint!” Liam looked at his parents, seeing their surprise. “And Kate Argent and the Berserkers, or that crazy assassin at the bonfire, and the Benefactor, and-”

“Alright, Liam,” Stiles broke in, hands on his boyfriend’s shoulders. “I think they get the picture.”

“Oh.” He looked at them, their expressions serious. “The point is that I wouldn’t be here without Stiles, I need him, I, I love him.” Liam felt his cheeks burn, but he leaned closer to Stiles as his stomach clenched hard. His parents were silent and looking at each other. “Um, say something, please?”

“Leaving aside the lies and the fact that you boys regularly face what sounds like lethal dangers,” Dr Geyer waited for his wife’s nod of approval. “Liam is at the best he ever is; his grades are steady; his teachers tell us that his attitude has improved-we asked- and his anger is under control. It’s been a month since the last incident, and from what you just told us, that seems to be directly as a result of him becoming a werewolf.”

“You’re wrong.” Liam shook his head. “That’s not becoming a werewolf. It’s because of Stiles.”

Stiles grinned as the words ignited a plume of warmth in his chest and he hugged Liam to his side. “Thanks.”

“It’s true."

“Ok.” Liam’s Mom nodded slowly. She paused as Dr Geyer frowned, and chuckled suddenly, the sound breaking the tension. “I’m not saying that we want a teen wedding or anything, but you have the official seal of approval!”

“Great.” Stiles sat down, pulling Liam with him. “Because there’s a lot we need to tell you.”

 

Stiles leaned against the door as he watched Liam embrace his parents, smiling widely as his step-father clasped his shoulder affectionately. The Junior nodded to himself and turned to leave.

“Hey, Stiles, wait!” Liam bounded over to him, catching his arm. “Um, I know it’s kinda late now, but on Sunday, my Mom wants you to come over for dinner. She said your Dad is invited too.”

“Haha,” Stiles laughed softly. “I think they want to hear some reassurance from an adult that the werewolf stuff is not something to be worrying about. I’ll ask him, and text you, ok?”

“Yeah.” Liam grinned, and hugged him tight. “Thanks for everything, Stiles, you were awesome!”

“You’re welcome.” Stiles kissed the top of Liam’s head. “When Scott comes over tomorrow morning, I’ll tell him to go through the, um, routine stuff with them; what happens on full moons, mountain ash, wolfsbane, how not to poison your puppy!”

Liam glared at him, but couldn’t hold the expression and giggled at him instead. “You…I love you so much!” He grinned and squeezed Stiles a little tighter, rubbing his face into the crook of his boyfriend’s neck. _I’ve never been so happy!_


	55. The Jackson Technique

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The following chapter contains explicit sexual content, but no major story development, so you may skip it if you are not interested in smut. There's a few more fluff and minor plot development chapters to go before I tackle the Kate Argent story arc next week.

“Hey Liam,” Stiles opened the door, smiling at his boyfriend. “How are you?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? Your face still looks sore.” The werewolf replied, stepping inside. He frowned, pulling back as Stiles leaned towards him, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t.” Stiles shook his head and took Liam’s hand, guiding him upstairs. “I already took my painkiller and besides, it looks worse than it is. All things going well, I won’t have a scar.”

“I’ll still love you!”

“Haha, thanks.” He pushed open the bedroom door and shrugged at Liam. “Um, sorry for the mess, I meant to tidy, but, um, I’m only up since, err, one.”

“So, half an hour ago?” Liam smirked and dropped his bag on the ground beside the bed. “You said we were going to watch _Indiana Jones_ this afternoon? I still don’t understand what Scott was joking about when we were in the Gauntlet.”

“You will after we see the films.”

“Films?” Liam stared at Stiles’ eager expression. “I’m not sure…”

“Why? What else are you going to do on a Saturday afternoon?”

“I was gonna play some lacrosse with Mason and Brett.” 

“Oh?” Stiles closed the door, grinned at him. “I didn’t think you and Brett had gotten that close.”

“We’re not close!” The werewolf bristled. “He’s just a really good player, and Mason tries, but, um, there’s a reason he’s not on the team.”

“Huh.” Stiles laughed softly as he walked over to close the blinds. “So, do you like him? Brett?”

“We’re not enemies anymore, if that’s what you mean?”

“Mmh, kinda. Did you…like Brett when you first saw him?”

Liam glared at him. “Why are you asking me this? I don’t like him like that.” His expression darkened as Stiles arched a brow. “Ok, fine, so, maybe a little.”

“Thought so!” Stiles grinned, shrugging at him as he came back to stand in front of Liam. “Not that I blame you, I’ve seen him change before a lacrosse game, some pretty sweet abs, huh?”

“Maybe.”

“But, uh, not quite as nice as yours!”

“Oh.” Liam blinked suddenly as he smelled Stiles’ arousal permeating the air around him. “Why do I get the feeling we’re not watching the movie?”

“We can watch it later tonight, but, um.” Stiles hesitated, his cheeks flushing. “We haven’t really had a chance to be together alone since before Thom…before the Benefactor was killed. And I, I kinda _need_ you, Liam, in the carnal, let me see you naked way!”

“Uh huh?” The younger teenager grinned toothily, and unzipped his jacket. “Your Dad’s not home?”

“He’s serving a warrant on the old sawmill down by the Interstate with the Sheriff from Hill Valley.” Stiles explained, resting his hands on Liam’s waist, his fingers digging under the fabric of his t-shirt to steal the first touch of warm skin. “He’ll be gone all day, so, if you want-”

“I do!” Liam nodded eagerly and closed the distance between them, kissing Stiles hard. Stiles’ lips parted at once and Liam felt his stomach fill with sparklers as his tongue pass over his boyfriend’s. They continued to make out passionately for a moment, until Stiles grimaced and grunted. Liam pulled away hurriedly. “Shit, sorry, Stiles! I forgot. Here, let me…” He placed his hand on Stiles’ neck and flinched as he took the stinging pain away. “Better?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Stiles smiled slightly as Liam traced the line of the cut along his jaw through the dressing. “Really, you didn’t have to. We can just cuddle, so you don’t have to take my pain away if we do anything else.”

“I don’t mind doing it.” Liam replied, crawling onto the bed as Stiles flopped down beside him. He turned onto his stomach and pressed into Stiles, one arm reaching across his chest, his face level with his boyfriend’s. 

“Mmh, this is nice.” Stiles murmured, the corners of his lips twitching as he felt Liam’s bulge rub up and down along his thigh, the younger teenager unaware that he was slowly grinding against him. “You wanna jerk off again?”

“Um, well, yeah, of course.” Liam nodded eagerly, before frowning, his cheeks heating as he stumbled over his words. “But, uh, actually, you said that you’d done it before, that you’d been taught, and I was thinking that maybe you would teach me how, and then we could, you know, practice on each other? Well, not practice, I’m not going to use it on anyone else, but like, I could learn how do it better and, um, yeah. Will you?”

Stiles stared at him. “Err, Liam, I’m going to need a little more detail.”

“You said that you and Jackson…that he showed you how.” Liam was bright red, and he glared at Stiles’ smirk.

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“Fine! He taught you how to suck cock, I wanna know how!” Liam blurted out loudly.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought you were saying.” Stiles folded his arms behind his head, ignoring his boyfriend’s dirty look. “I suppose I could teach you the Jackson Technique.”

“The _Jackson Technique_?”

“Yeah, that’s what he called it, because of course Jackson would be that arrogant.” Stiles laughed to himself and then looked at Liam, “Are you sure you’re ready for this? It will take long and arduous study under me and-”

“I’m ready.” Liam interrupted him confidently. “Let’s do it!”

 

Liam watched Stiles hungrily as his boyfriend pulled off his t-shirt and slipped off his sweat pants, leaving him in bulging trunks. He was lying back on the bed, already stripped to his own underwear, playing idly with his cotton-covered erection. Stiles gave his dick a quick tug, before pulling down his trunks and tossing them to one side. _Wow! I’ve seen it before, but…wow._

“Liam, take off your boxers.” Stiles nodded at him, jerking slowly as he waited for the werewolf to follow his lead. His boyfriend’s muscles were well sculpted from the potent mix of lacrosse training and werewolf genetics. _I never care enough about the how though, especially not when I have those muscles all to myself! He’s pretty close to Jackson’s level of muscle mass too. I wonder how good he’ll be at this? Pretty perfect, I reckon, what with those soft, delicious lips!_ The thought sent a shiver rushing down Stiles’ spine to his ass and he knelt on the bed as Liam looked at him eagerly. “You ready?”

“Yeah, so, is there like a special set of rules or something that I need to learn?”

“Um, no.” Stiles frowned as Liam blushed. “You’ve seen blowjobs in porn, right?”

“Of course! It’s just, you said-”

“I know what I said.” Stiles broke in. “Ok, how about you lie back, relax, I’ll show you what I’m doing and then you can try it on me and I’ll give you pointers. That sound ok?”

“Uh huh, yeah, um, I guess, I’m just…” Liam trailed off as Stiles smiled at him, and he shuffled backwards to rest against the pillows. His heart was already racing and his pulse spiked when Stiles gripped his cock gently, stroking up and down, bring him back to his full hardness. “Mmh, it’s nice.”

“Only starting, Liam, good to get you as hard as possible, a little teasing, but not too much or you’ll pop too soon!” Stiles grinned and lowered his body onto the bed, feeling his own cock lengthen under him. He humped the bedspread for a moment, before glancing at his boyfriend, eyes open to see Liam’s reaction as he swiped his tongue across the head of the werewolf’s cock.

“Ah!” He panted, breathing hard, the spark of pleasure deepening as Stiles kissed the shaft and his tongue drifted back up. “Oh, man!”

“You like that? It’s sensitive there, right? So, do that a few times.” Stiles said, demonstrating again to Liam’s delight. The younger teenager bucked, but Stiles stopped, tapping his abs with his fingers. “Calm down, let me at least get it inside my mouth!”

“Mmmh! Hurry!” Liam begged.

“Ok, here we go.” Stiles smirked, taking a final lick along the head, Liam’s sweet precum on his tongue as he pulled the head and shaft into his mouth in one smooth motion.

“Oh! OH YEAH!”

 _Haha, you ain’t seen nothing yet!_ Stiles thought to himself as he got used to Liam’s thickness in his mouth, his tongue moving along the shaft. He pushed the head to one side, rubbing it along the inside of his cheek, remembering the way Jackson had showed him. Liam was moaning and bucking hard against him, and Stiles could feel his own cock leaking beneath him, begging for attention. _Gotta wait until he can get that sexy mouth of his on here!_ He pulled Liam’s cock out of his mouth, his hand taking over to jerk him off slowly. “You’re already really close, so, we’ll speed this up, but normally you spend five, ten minutes, longer on this part.”

“Mmh.” Liam groaned pushing his cock up through Stiles’ hand. “But it’s so good right now!”

“I know, here, suck on my fingers.” Stiles leaned forward, seeing Liam frown before shrugging and opening his mouth to let the index and middle fingers in. “Get them wet, that’s it.” He pulled his fingers out and smirked. “This next part is why Jackson gets to name his own cock sucking method!” Stiles dove back onto Liam’s cock, pushing his head as close as possible to his boyfriend’s naval, choking slightly as Liam arched with a loud moan, salvia dribbling down the shaft. Slipping his wet fingers under the werewolf’s heavy balls, Stiles ran them along his perineum, pressing gently until he found the closest point to Liam’s prostrate.

“AH!” Liam cried out, writhing around on the bed as Stiles sucked him hard, his fingers seeming to have found a magic button that shot his pleasure into orbit. “Oh my god, Stiles! That’s amazing! I’m not gonna last long!”

Stiles grinned around Liam’s cock and redoubled his efforts, sucking him harder, pulling his warm, wet mouth back up along his boyfriend’s shaft, until only the head was left inside. He could feel Liam’s ass flexing hard under his fingers and the teenager’s tight hole was only a few inches away, but Stiles resisted the urge to slip a digit inside. _Next time!_ Liam was moaning uncontrollably now and Stiles felt the tip of his cock spasm, the first salty splash hitting his tongue. Stiles pulled away immediately and used both hands to jerk Liam off as he continued to shoot all over Stiles’ face. “That’s it, Liam! Cum for me!”

“Mmh! Yeah, aw, yeah! Aw, yeah, Stiles!” He panted and groaned, arching high, eyes closed as wave after intense wave washed across his body until he was spent and sagged down on the bed, his hands buried in the sheets. When Liam looked down at Stiles’ cum-covered face, he felt his cock throb and his ass clench. “Wow, that’s so hot!” Stiles smirked at him, and wiped the cum from his lips and nose, using his thumb to clean the spurts that landed on his forehead. “Mmh…”

“So, do you learn anything?” He grinned mischievously, tugging on Liam’s re-inflating cock. “Or am I gonna have to demonstrate for you again?!”


	56. Puppy Rage

“So, how was your weekend?” Mason asked Liam as he pulled out books for their first period, answering his own question before Liam could speak. “Mine was ok, though I was wondering what happened to my best friend, since we haven’t hung out in…two weeks? Three?”

“Yeah, I…I’m sorry, Mason.” Liam muttered. “I’ve just been busy, you know?”

“With Stiles, right?”

“Um, sure.”

“Ok, but how come you’re spending all your time with him?” Mason sighed when Liam didn’t reply, looking around the locker door at him. “Liam? Why are you blushing? Wait…did you guys-”

“We just took things a little further is all.” The werewolf replied, ears burning as he remembered the afternoon he had meant to spend playing lacrosse with Mason and Brett had turned into him and Stiles trying to outdo each other and make the other cum faster. _Well, once we figured out how to get the sixty-nine going!_ He looked at the door, smelling Stiles before he saw him, lips turning into a smirk. Mason was hidden behind his open locker, sniggering. _Probably imagining what I meant, but after last time, I don’t think I’ll give him all the details. Not at school anyway._ Liam waved over to his boyfriend. “Hey, Stiles!”

“Heya pup!” Stiles called out when he was nearby.

Liam’s head shot up as the sniggering behind him stopped suddenly. _No, no, no. Stiles!_ “You-”

“What’s wrong, pup?” Stiles frowned at him as Liam leaned away from his kiss. “Liam?”

“ _Pup_ , huh?” Mason closed his locker, a grin spreading across his face. “Liam’s your puppy? Aww, that’s so cute!”

“Uh, I didn’t know he was there…” Stiles swallowed quickly as Liam glared at him, furious. The older teenager began to back away, hands held out placatingly. “C’mon, Liam, it’s not like he’s gonna tell anyone. Right, Mason?”

“Oops.” Mason looked up from his phone into Liam’s glare. “I just told Hayden, we’re kind friends now and she-”

“You told _her_?!” Liam roared and shoved Mason away from him, before turning on Stiles. “It’s gonna be all over the school, no one is gonna take me seriously! You said you’d be more careful, Stiles.”

“I know, I said that, didn’t I?” Stiles backed away from the werewolf, and glanced over his shoulder, judging the distance to the door. “You seem upset, so, um, I’m gonna give you some time to calm down, and-” He broke off suddenly and took off running towards the front door. “See ya!”

“Get back here!” Liam snarled and chased him, leaving Mason behind as his best friend laughed at him. “Stiles!”

 

Stiles felt his chest begin to tighten, his lungs burning as he jumped over the fence between the soccer and lacrosse fields. _Just another Monday, running away from a crazy werewolf, what else would I be doing? Oh, I’m so unfit!_ He fell heavily onto the turf, but before he could scramble to his feet, he was tackled from behind and dragged back down. “Let me go!”

“No!” Liam growled and tightened his grip around Stiles’ waist. “Stop moving!”

“Ok, ok.” Stiles went limp as his boyfriend forced him onto his back. “Ye got me. Now what?”

“I can’t believe you did that, Stiles.”

“I didn’t know he was there, besides it’s just a name, Liam.” Stiles tried to explain, his hands on the werewolf’s thighs, Liam straddling his waist, strong arms pinning Stiles’ hands to the ground. “It’s just a silly nickname.”

“Yeah, but now everyone is going to know.” Liam glared at him, upset. “I told you that you could only call me that when we’re alone. It was meant to be our thing, special, just for me and you.”

“I’m sorry.” Stiles stood up as Liam climbed off him and turned away. He tried to put a hand on the werewolf’s shoulder, but Liam shrugged him off.

“Don’t touch me.”

“Sorry. Come on, Liam, haven’t we been through too much to let this one tiny thing come between us?”

“It’s not tiny to me!” Liam growled, his eyes flashing yellow. “How am I meant to play lacrosse with all the guys when they think that I like being called a freaking puppy?!”

“Ok, you’re still angry.” Stiles backed off, swallowing hard as he saw Liam’s claws emerge. “It’ll blow over, or it might be a joke for a day, but, then it’ll pass.”

“Liam!” 

They both looked to one side as Scott’s voice carried across the field. “Shit.” Stiles muttered, looking at Liam. “Just put your claws away, let me do the talking.”

“I think you’ve done enough talking.” The Beta shook his head, glaring defiantly at Scott. “What do you want?”

“You guys ran past me as I was parking.” Scott glanced at Stiles, waiting for his nod to continue. “What’s going on? Why are you all wolfed out, Liam?”

“You don’t know what he did?”

“No, why don’t you tell me and we can work it out?” Scott paused and tried to control his expression, lips pulling into a smirk. “Is it about the ‘pup’ thing? Malia kinda mentioned it to me after the pack meeting last week. It’s, um-”

“Embarrassing.” Liam grunted, his cheeks and ears red.

“I was gonna say adorable.” Scott grinned at Stiles’ surprised expression.

“Uh, yeah, Liam means a lot to me.”

“But,” Liam paused, wetting his lips as he glanced between the two older teenagers. He suddenly felt stupid. _It’s just a name, why am I so angry with him?_ The heat left his gaze and Liam hung his head. “Sorry.” He mumbled softly, claws retracting. _I thought my IED would be gone after becoming a werewolf…_

 

Stiles moistened his lips and nodded his thanks at Scott, smiling gratefully as his best friend turned to go.

“I’ll leave you guys to it.”

“See ya, Scott. Thanks.” Stiles reached out to Liam, hesitating for a moment before touching the werewolf’s shoulder. “Hey, c’mon, Liam, look at me.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“It’s alright that you lost your temper, I deserved it. I should have been more careful.”

“You aren’t the one who just lost control and wolfed out in front of his boyfriend.” Liam muttered, blinking angrily at the tears that gathered in his eyes.

“Oh, good, we’re still boyfriends, then!”

“Of course.” Liam looked at him at last, ears burning. “You did something stupid and I over-reacted, can we just forget about it?”

“Sure.” Stiles nodded eagerly as Liam wrapped his arms around him again, the grip gentler this time. “It’s forgotten.”

“Yeah,” Liam mumbled, his face buried in the crook of Stiles’ neck, drawing his boyfriend’s scent deep into his lungs. “But it’s only forgotten by you. Mason told Hayden and she hates me already, plus Scott knows, and Malia and-”

“Hey, it’s ok, Liam.” Stiles kissed his forehead soothingly, his fingers rubbing circles along his back. _Who is Hayden? Why hasn’t he told me about this girl before?_ “We can, um, Roscoe is parked outside…”

“Skip school?” The werewolf looked up at him and grinned. “Really?”

“Well, I do have a Math test I never studied for,” Stiles returned his smile. “Plus, um, I’m not sure we covered everything we needed to in Saturday’s lesson. I think I need to give you another demonstration!”

“Sounds good.” Liam nodded eagerly, feeling his trunks get tighter, the bulge pressing against Stiles’ thigh. They broke apart and began to walk towards the parking lot. “Can we go to Lookout Point?”

“Sure.”

“Will you get me ice cream on the way?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“And chocolate sauce?”

“I guess, maybe.”

“With little sprinkles?”

“Are you messing with me, pup?”

Liam grinned at him and slipped his hand into Stiles’. “Just a little, but I never told you what that sweet treat is for!”


	57. Coming Out 2.0

Liam folded his arms as he waited for Mason to get off the bus, seeing his best friend’s face light up as soon as he saw him. The teen’s scent was playful, almost as though he could smell the joking comment Mason was about to make. _This is gonna suck. How the hell did I let Stiles talk me into this? Still, I told my parents, I have to tell him too. He came out to me first, a day later I told him I was gay too, and ever since nothing has divided our friendship. Except for this; being a werewolf. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve lied to him or avoided him just to keep the secret. But not anymore._ Liam steeled himself and waved at his best friend. “Hey Mason.”

“Hello _pup!_ ” The other Freshman grinned cheekily at him.

Liam just glared in response, grunting as he gestured towards the school, walking away, Mason following him. “Gah.”

“So, pup, how come you missed school yesterday?”

“Skipped it. Me and Stiles.” Liam replied shortly.

“Haha, you guys kissed and made up, huh, pup?” Mason nodded at him, trying not to laugh. “Um, so, this pup thing-”

“Stop, Mason!” Liam growled, curling his hands into fists. _Huh, no claws? Maybe I really am getting control._ “Don’t call me that. In fact, can’t you just forget that you even heard it?”

“Aw, c’mon, Liam, it is pretty cute, and it’s cool that your boyfriend cares enough about you to give you an adorable pet name!”

“I’m not adorable!”

“Mmh, well, right now you’re pissed, but in the right light…” Mason grinned at him again, before frowning when Liam turned off the hallway. “Hey, we got English. It’s that way.”

“I know.”

“You’re skipping class again? Dude! You’ll get in trouble.”

“At least I won’t be alone.” Liam muttered and reached out to grab Mason’s arm, careful not to hurt him as he dragged his friend into the locker rooms.

“Hey!”

 

“Sit down.” Liam pushed him onto a bench as Mason stared at him, his scent shifting into concern.

“Liam? What’s going on?”

“Nothing. Everything. You need to know, but I don’t know how to tell you.” Liam paced in circles around Mason. “I said I needed to tell you now, and Stiles was gonna help out, like with my parents, but then he tore his stitches last night and he was bleeding, and he’s been in the hospital since and-”

“Liam, calm down!” Mason reached out for him, but he moved away. “C’mon, dude, talk to me.”

“I want to, I’ve wanted to, but I didn’t know how until now.” Liam sat down heavily on the other end of the bench looking at Mason with haunted eyes. “But I want you to know, to know everything, to understand, so it all makes sense. I don’t know how I’m meant to do that though, and I hate lying to you about it.”

“Is there something wrong between you and Stiles?”

“No, nothing like that.” Liam shook his head. “He’s perfect.”

“Your parents, then? Step-father?”

“No more than usual.”

“Ok, I don’t really…” Mason trailed off as Liam scratched at the surface of the bench. He reached out and this time was able to touch his best friend’s hand. “Liam, you know you can tell me anything, right?”

“I know.”

“So?”

Liam wetted his lips and tried to slow his racing heart. He closed his eyes, feeling the shift slip across him, and then looked at Mason, his yellow eyes glowing. “I’m a werewolf.”

Mason was staring at him, swallowing hard as Liam opened his mouth and bared his fangs. “Uh, dude, Halloween was months ago…”

“They’re real. So are these.” Liam gestured with his claws and dragged a deep furrow through the metal surface of the bench. “See?”

“Um, yeah, but, it’s-”

“You’re the smart one, Mason, are you going to deny the evidence in front of you?”

“No, but, I…this is insane, Liam!” Mason spluttered, staring at him, “What, how did this happen?”

“Scott McCall bit me.”

“What?!” He sprung to his feet, scent shifting from disbelief into fear.

“Wait, wait,” Liam held out his hands and urged Mason to sit back down. “He’s the Alpha werewolf, the leader of the pack, the only one who can make other werewolves, I think.”

“You _think_?” Mason stared at him. 

“Well, Stiles knows all about this stuff, I don’t remember everything he said!” Liam protested lamely, before looking away from his friend. “He said he’d be here at lunchtime. Stiles can probably answer all your questions.”

“Is he a werewolf too? Are you actually not dating him, but just pretending because you’re all secret werewolves? Oh, but, shit!” Mason’s eyes went wide suddenly. “Wait, so, you’re like a _new_ werewolf?”

“Uh, yeah.” Liam blinked, confused by the abrupt change in topic. “I was bitten nearly a month ago.”

“Right, right.” Mason nodded to himself, “Now it all makes sense: that’s why he calls you ‘pup’, right? And then when you guys turn into werewolves, you turn into a baby werewolf, like a puppy, yeah?”

“No!” Liam glowered at him. “I do not turn into an actual puppy! Or a wolf! It’s just a cute name!”

“Oh…” Mason was quiet for a moment, before looking at Liam with a grin. “This is really cool!”

“Yeah, wait until you hear about the monsters, and the hunters, and the assassins, oh, and all the other crazy were-creatures out to get me.” Liam smirked at him. “You up for skipping class now?”

 

Stiles rubbed his jaw carefully, feeling the new stiches tight along the wound, drawing it back together, the pain relief wearing off. Dr Geyer had patched him up and given him a stern warning about stuffing his mouth full while he was still healing. _What can I say, I love cramming meat in my mouth!_ He grinned to himself, turning off the engine of his Jeep, and climbed out to stand on the tarmac of the parking lot. Stiles waved at Liam and his boyfriend gave Mason a quick hug before running over to him. _Speaking of…_ “Hey, Liam.”

“Stiles!” The werewolf hugged him hard, squeezing the air from his lungs. “You ok now?”

“Can’t breathe!”

“Oh, sorry.” Liam stood back sheepishly, “I just missed you is all.”

“I got that.” Stiles smiled and felt his jaw again, fingers grazing the gauze padding. “I’m fine, your step-dad replaced the stitches, put on a new dressing, warned me not to, hmm, stretch my mouth so wide.” He winked at Liam as the werewolf balked.

“Did you-”

“Don’t worry, I made something up, of course, haha, your face just there!” Stiles laughed and gestured to where Mason was waiting for them. “You told him?”

“Yeah.”

“And…?”

“I don’t think he gets it,” Liam scratched his head, whispering as they walked up the steps. “He thought I turned into an actual puppy!”

“That would be more cuteness than anyone could handle!” Stiles grinned, stopping to kiss him lightly on the lips. “But thankfully, you stay mostly human, huh. Did you tell him that?”

“Err…” Liam shrugged and kissed Stiles again. “I was kinda hoping you would fill in the details?”

“Fine.” _But just because you're doing the pouty lip thing...damn, so cute!_ They reached Mason and Stiles stared at the notebook in his hands. “Oh boy, you didn’t tell him anything, did you?”

“Yeah, he did, but I have plenty to ask.” Mason replied quickly, before launching into his questions. “So, claws; do they need to be trimmed? And the fangs? Dude, what if he has to go to the dentist? And what’s with the eye color? Liam said something about yellow is pure, and red is Alpha, but blue is-”

“Ok! Ok, one at a time.” Stiles cut across Mason’s excited voice. He glanced at Liam as they made their way towards the lacrosse fields. “Hey, pack meeting after school, Scott thinks he might have a lead on Kate Argent.”

“Who’s that?” Mason looked between them. “What’s a pack meeting?”

“That means Berserkers, right?” Liam groaned.

“Berserkers?” Mason whispered. “Wow!”


	58. Dread

“So,” Stiles said as he looked up from his phone. “No pack meeting after all.”

“Why not?” Liam grunted as he reached behind his PlayStation to plug in another controller.

“Deaton’s sick, or something, Scott said he was talking to someone at Eichen House who might know what Kate’s plan is. But then something went wrong and now Deaton is lying in a bed _in_ Eichen House. Scott was kinda sketchy on the details.” Stiles sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “It doesn’t feel right.”

“So, what are we going to do?” Mason asked as he flipped through Liam’s stack of games.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Liam looked sharply at Stiles. “Why not?”

“Scott said so. We give it a few days, maybe Deaton will wake up.” He shrugged and accepted the controller from his boyfriend. “Kate Argent doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to come to us, maybe taking some time to think and plan is a good idea; not go rushing in for once.”

“Hmm, maybe.” Liam grudgingly agreed and sat in between Mason and Stiles. He grinned suddenly, “Are you guys ready to get your asses handed to you?”

“Speaking of not feeling right…” Stiles muttered as he squinted at his viewpoint of his soldier in the bottom quarter of the screen. Mason frowned at him, but tapped a button and nodded. Liam did the same and they both looked expectantly at Stiles. “I’m choosing my guns.”

“There’s some right here for you to look at!” Liam flexed and his biceps bulged in the short-sleeved t-shirt he was wearing. Stiles stared at him for a moment before swallowing hard, flushing. The werewolf smirked, feeling Mason’s eyes on him too. “Oh, yeah, you guys are gonna lose!”

 

“Oh, come on!” Mason threw down his controller in frustration. “You’re cheating; using your superhuman reflexes!”

“Yup, he always beats me too.” Stiles laughed as Liam shrugged smugly. “But, c’mon, Mason, how about one more match?” 

“Sure.” The other teenager smiled at him and looked over Liam’s bowed head to exchange a wink with Stiles. “Let’s do it!”

“Hey, what are you…” Liam trailed off as Stiles’ soldier ran in front of his avatar, distracting him long enough for Mason to snipe him from the bushes. “Damn!” They continued to play, Mason and Stiles taking turns to trap and trick Liam, eventually killing him enough times for the werewolf to get into a huff and stand up. “I’m not playing anymore if you’re going to team up on me. Play each other.” He dropped his controller with a grunt and climbed onto his bed to watch them instead.

“Ok.” Stiles smirked at Mason. “Bring it!”

“Oh, don’t worry, it shall be brung!” 

“Ugh,” Liam groaned to himself. “Stop trash-talking, you guys suck at it.”

“Shut up pup, you don’t get to speak!” Stiles snapped at him playfully. “You walked away.”

“Uh huh.” He watched them play, lips twitching into a grin as Mason defeated Stiles again and again. After the fifth straight loss, Stiles sighed and threw down his controller. 

“Fine, ok, you win.” Stiles glanced at his boyfriend and shrugged. “Guess I have to practice more, huh?” He was about to continue when his phone buzzed and Stiles saw Scott’s name. “Err, hang on, I need to get this. Uh, yeah? Scott? No, hang on, let me go into the hall. I’m at Liam’s.”

The werewolf swung back down onto the floor and picked up his controller again, looking at Mason. “You wanna play again?”

“Oh, nah, I need to study, there’s the History test tomorrow.”

“You could study here?” Liam asked hopefully. “Or we could play just a few more matches?”

“Why? You have Stiles.” Mason frowned, before grinning impishly at Liam. “You can play with him, haha.”

The werewolf rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, later, but I want to hang out with you. I feel like we’ve missed out, dude.”

“I know but, I really do need to study. And we can hang out tomorrow or at the weekend, ok?” Mason lingered at the door as Liam nodded slowly.

“Ok.”

“Hey, but, Liam?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for telling me about you being a werewolf.” Mason grinned, “I wasn’t sure why you were pulling away from me, and I was getting kind of worried. But I’m glad we’re still tight.”

 

“Hey, pup.” Stiles came back into the room, sitting next to his boyfriend on the floor as Liam flicked through the options for his character’s guns. “Did I ever tell you that Scott recovered a bag of cash from Garrett’s locker? It was all the money he and Violet had collected from the assassinations.”

“Isn’t that the Hales’ money?”

“Yup, he kept it hidden under his bed,” Stiles tried not to grin and failed. “At least until his Mom found it this evening.”

“Oh shit!”

“Yeah, so, he’s giving it back to Derek now, I think she guilted him about where it came from and the fact it was dirty money.”

“Wait,” Liam stared at him. “Are you saying that he should have kept it?”

“Well…yeah.” Stiles avoided Liam’s gaze. “Look, his Mom is killing herself with all the hours she’s working, Scott is picking up extra shifts at the Animal Clinic just to help out, and the past three times we’ve been in Scott’s house, there’s been no power. You probably don’t notice cos you can see in the dark.”

“Oh. I guess I can understand that.” Liam glanced at him again, “So, do you wanna play another match? Or another game, I’ve got-”

“Don’t you have a History test tomorrow?” Stiles smirked, “Yeah, I overheard Mason.”

“Crap.” Liam pouted. “I don’t wanna study.”

“I can help you.” He grinned and nodded at the bed. “Go get the books, let’s see where you are.”

“Ok.” Liam sighed, but was secretly happy to spend time with Stiles, even if it did mean they were talking about school instead of making out. “It’s World History, this part, see?”

“Yeah, ok.” Stiles scanned the page and smirked. “You’ve studied, right?”

“Kind of.”

“Oh, good. Describe what factors led to the fall of Rome?”

“Um, ok, so,” Liam stammered and licked his lips, eyes searching the duvet desperately. _Barbarians!_ “Oh, right, ok, so there were these…”

 

Stiles fidgeted with the edge of the notebook as Liam tried to answer the question. “Uh huh.”

“And that caused the…Stiles, are you even listening to me?”

“Of course, migration and barbarian attacks.” He nodded absently, “Keep going.”

“No, there’s something wrong, I can smell it.” Liam frowned at him suspiciously. “It’s bitter, sour, I don’t know the scent though, not really.”

“Yeah, it’s unease.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I’m the one feeling it!” Stiles rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands. “Deaton getting taken out, Scott willing to wait; it just doesn’t sit well with me. I feel like we should be doing something, like it’s not over yet.”

“The Berserkers are still out there.” Liam said, rolling onto his side to better see Stiles’ face. “Come on, you always tell me that it’ll work out, don’t you believe that anymore?”

“No, I do, I just…never mind.” Stiles shook his head and Liam laughed softly, leaning over the book to kiss him. There was a gruff cough from the doorway and they broke apart. “Oh, hey, Dr Geyer.”

“Stiles.” He nodded and looked at Liam. “It’s nearly eleven.”

“Ah, ok.” Stiles got up. “I better go home.”

“Wait!” Liam scrambled upright, looking at his step-father. “Can’t he stay a little longer?”

“Five minutes to say good-bye.” The man nodded and walked downstairs.

“But-”

“Uh, no, Liam, it’s ok.” Stiles interjected, hand on his boyfriend’s arm. “I need to get a good night’s sleep, I want to be up early to catch Coach at his best time: right as he gets out of his car!”

“Why?”

“He’s not going to let me play the game on Friday with this.” Stiles gestured at his face. “It’s still a bit sore, but it looks way worse than it is. If I get him early in the day I might be able to badger him enough to let me play without having to get a Doctor’s note.”

“Right.” Liam nodded as Stiles hugged him. _A Doctor’s note, huh? I can get that!_ He kissed him, and nuzzled his nose against Stiles’ neck, taking his final lungful of his boyfriend’s scent until school the next morning. Liam sighed contentedly, refusing to let Stiles go. “Feels perfect right now.” He murmured, finally letting go as his step-father called out to them from by the front door. “Fine…”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, pup.” 

 

Stiles pulled in, his wheel rims skipping against the curb outside of Liam’s house, early morning sun filtering through the trees behind him. He took a deep draught of coffee from his thermos and waited for Liam to come outside. The werewolf was a little later than usual, Dr Geyer accompanying him to the door. “Good morning.”

“Stiles.” The man’s brows were pulled into a frown, his mouth a thin line. “I hope I’m not doing the wrong thing. But as long as you keep Liam from hurting himself or others, I can patch you up later.” He patted the side of the Jeep and turned away when Liam got in.

Stiles stared at his retreating back in confusion, kissing Liam absently. As he was pulling back into the street, Stiles looked at his boyfriend. “Um, what the hell was that about?”

“So, you remember last night when you said you wouldn’t be able to play at the game unless Coach got a Doctor’s letter?” Liam grinned at him excitedly, not waiting for Stiles to reply. “I got you one! My step-father signed it and everything!”

“What?”

“Yeah!” He shrugged, pulling the letter out and showing it proudly to Stiles. “So, ok, maybe I had to say that you help me stay anchored on the lacrosse field and if you’re not there, then I might go all crazy wolf-mode and hurt the other team.”

“Liam!” Stiles groaned at him. “You’re meant to use your powers for good, pup!”

The werewolf rolled his eyes. “Now, you can play! We need to practice though, and I’ll protect you so that no one tackles you tomorrow.”

“I…” Stiles hesitated, unable to keep the scowl on his face as he looked at Liam. _You’re so damn cute!_ “Ok, fine, but now we’re an hour early.”

“I can think of a way to spend the time!” Liam grinned, mischievous glint in his eyes. 

 

Stiles rinsed out his mouth and spat the water on the asphalt outside the Jeep. He glanced back at Liam’s flushed face and smirked. “You ok?”

“Wow.”

“Haha, I’ll take that as a yes.” He climbed back inside the Jeep, the werewolf recovering enough to buckle his belt and sigh contentedly. Stiles frowned, the momentary satisfaction gone. “I don’t like it, Liam, there’s something wrong with everything.”

“What do you mean?”

“I feel like I’m constantly bracing for an attack that hasn’t come yet. It’s this whole Kate Argent thing.” He paused and shook his head. “No, not her, not exactly. It’s the Berserkers I’m worried about. I mean, you and Kira managed to defeat one of them long   
enough to get away, but in a straight up fight…”

“I know.” Liam replied seriously, his hand on Stiles’ forearm. “But it’s going to be alright. If she comes back, we’ll fight her off, the pack is strong, and with you and Lydia, and now Mason, you’ll figure out a way to stop them once and for all.”

“Mason?”

“He’s really smart.” Liam replied. “Like, you-levels of smart!”

“Thanks, pup.” Stiles leaned over and kissed him, but the worry was still in his voice. “It’s just we barely got out alive during the whole deadpool and Benefactor thing, what about the next one?”

 

Liam turned as he placed the other weight on the bar, feeling Mason’s eyes on him. “What?”

“Why are you doing that? It’s like three hundred pounds.” The teenager shrugged. “I mean, Stiles explained all about the _perfect werewolf bodies_ aspect of the Bite. You working out is a bit redundant now, right?”

“Yeah, well, I want to challenge myself, ok?”

“Ok.” Mason replied slowly after Liam snapped at him. “He said that you don’t have to work out though, that you can eat whatever you want and you’ll still have those killer abs!”

Liam rolled his eyes, _Oh, so that’s what this is about?_ He quickly pulled up the front of his vest, running a hand down his sweat-slicked skin. “Happy now? You get to see werewolf perfection?”

“Uh…”

“Don’t,” Liam smirked. “I can smell that you’re happy!” He sat down on the bench and nodded at his best friend. “You know, you could have a sexy body too if you lifted a bit more.”

“What?” Mason looked at the dumbbells in his hands. “Hey! These are my warmup weights.”

“Uh huh, tell me that in twenty minutes.” Liam fired back, harsher than he meant to, feeling anger and nervousness and churn through his body. His teeth ground together, hands gripping the bar tight as he repositioned under it. _I just want to hit something! Grr!_

“Ok.” Mason shook his head and walked over to stand behind Liam. 

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to spot you, that’s like twice your body weight, maybe even three times!”

Liam glared at Mason and lifted the weight up, arms out-stretched fully, before brought the bar down to his chest, grunting slightly before he pushed it back upwards with relative ease as Mason stared at him. The werewolf smirked as the weights were locked in   
place and he sat up. “Do I look like I need help?”

“Whatever,” Mason shrugged. “You’re impossible right now.”

Liam grunted and lay back down, ignoring his friend’s upset scent. He resumed lifting the heavy weight. “One…Two…Three…”

 

Stiles looked up as a shadow fell across his table. “Hey Mason.” The younger teenager was frowning. “Uh, something wrong?”

“Can I sit down?”

“Sure.” Stiles put away his copybook and gestured to the bench across from him. “This is about Liam, right?”

“Yeah, he’s being a jerk.” Mason grunted moodily. “How come he's still a total dick when the Bite was meant to change him completely? He’s told me everything and yet he’s still pushing me away, what the hell is up with that?”

“Um, the Bite changes a lot, but not his personality.” Stiles shrugged. “He’s probably just upset or irritated about something, it’s not you.”

“I know.” Mason sighed, his anger vanishing. “I’ve been friends with him for years, I know what he’s like, I just thought maybe he wouldn’t have his IED anymore. He’s better now, you’ve helped a lot.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, the smallest thing used to set him off and he’d rage for five minutes before going quiet and then he’d avoid me for like a day afterwards.” Mason smiled faintly. “It’s not like that since you started going out with him, but he was pretty intense in the gym right now.”

“Hmm.” Stiles pulled out his notebook, looking at a printout of the lunar cycles for the year. He noticed Mason staring and grinned. “I’ll get you a copy. So, the next full moon is Saturday, that means he’s going to be nervous and afraid and all his emotions pushed up to ten. Last time, his first full moon, wasn’t exactly the best experience, I’ll be there for him as his anchor, so he doesn’t freak out and hurt himself…or anyone else.” Stiles added, glancing at his arm, remembering the way Liam had buried his claws in it. _Was that only four weeks ago?_ He cleared his throat. “We should head back, Mason, he’s probably mellowed out by now.”

“Yeah, ok.”

 

_The Berserkers…how the hell are we meant to defeat them?_ Liam glared at the ceiling as he continued to work out, sweat sticking to the back of his neck, muscles bunching and then lengthening as he did so. _Stiles is afraid, uneasy he calls it, but I know him better, I know what that smells like. And I need to protect him, keep him safe. But it’s not just him anymore, what about Mason? Or my parents? They all need me, but how am I meant to protect everyone from a monster with those claws…_ He grunted, chest becoming tighter as he remembered how the Berserker had looked at him, that massive animal skull, and the clicking of the Berserker’s long claws together as it approached him with a dreadful certainty. Liam blinked as his grip slipped in his suddenly clammy hands and the bar sank down, the weight too much, pressing into his chest. “No!” He struggled to speak, the air crushed from his lungs. “St-gah!”

“Shit!” 

There was a shout from above him and Liam looked up to see Stiles and Mason standing over him, their faces twisted in exertion. They were struggling with the bar, trying to lift it off his chest. Liam could hear their hearts beating rapidly, blood rushing though their bodies. He summoned the last of his strength and pushed the bar up firmly, helping them to get it locked in place. “Phew.” Liam groaned, sitting up and falling off the bench as Stiles and Mason groaned, dancing backwards. “Agh.” He winced, shoulder muscles complaining.

“Liam, what the hell?” Stiles muttered softly as he knelt down in front of his boyfriend, hand on his shoulder, grounding him, anchoring him. Liam nodded, head bowed and leaned forward until his brow touched Stiles' chest. “I have you, it’s ok.”

“Sorry, Stiles.” Liam mumbled, taking deep breathes, Stiles’ arms closing around him.


	59. The Perks of Almost Dying

“Fuck!” Stiles stared at his boyfriend after he turned around, seeing the lacrosse ball fly overhead. “What the hell was that, Liam?”

“Um, over?” The werewolf sighed, hanging his head. “Sorry.”

“Well, go get the ball.” Stiles gestured and watched him nod, running after it across the field. The sun was setting in front of him and Stiles rested on his stick, reaching up to touch the cross bar of the goal. A minute later, the ball was tossed back towards the others and Liam followed. “Ok.”

“I’ll try and keep them lower from now on.”

“Yeah, I would like us to at least get on the board against the Devenford Preppies tomorrow.” Stiles muttered, raising his stick and indicating he was ready. Liam scooped up the ball and charged forward, feigning right, and then hurling the ball into the left corner. “Gah!”

“Yeah!”

“Well, keep them coming,” Stiles complained, dodging one that Liam had thrown at his head. “Hey! Watch the face!”

“You’re wearing a helmet.” Liam pointed out with a smirk, before his expression darkened. “Hey, Stiles?”

“What is it, pup?”

“Do you think we’re gonna lose the match?”

“No.” Stiles flicked a ball into the pocket of his lacrosse stick and tossed it back at him. “We have you on our side! Plus, Scott and Kira, so we have a chance, a good chance.”

“Aren’t you forgetting someone?” Liam smirked, lining up another shot, and he nodded obviously at the goal.

“Oh, right,” Stiles flailed wildly and the werewolf cheered again as he scored. “Didn’t you hear? Ryder broke his foot two days ago, apparently his sister reversed over it.”

“Ouch.” Liam winced, but then frowned. “No, I wasn’t talking about him; I meant you.”

“Uh.”

“C’mon, Stiles, you’ve been getting a lot better,” Liam shrugged, moving closer to his boyfriend. “Especially when you train next to me!”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re so awesome.” Stiles’ eyes gleamed in the fading rays of the sun and he pressed the front of his helmet against Liam’s, whispering, their faces close. “I wasn’t being sarcastic, you are amazing!”

“Aww, thanks.” The werewolf grinned, his hand reaching out to touch the bare skin of Stiles’ arm. “I’d kiss you right now, if I could…but, you go in field and I’ll stay in goal. You can show me what you’ve learned.”

“Oh yeah?” Stiles smirked, but nodded and switched sticks.

“Yup, plus, later I can show you what I’ve learned from you!” Liam raised his brows suggestively and licked his lips. “But only if you score five times!”

Stiles stared at him for a minute, feeling his shorts becoming increasingly restrictive. “Um, sure. That’s a goal I can get behind!” He stooped down and flicked the ball into the pocket of his stick, took a run up and flung the ball into Liam’s chest. “Ah! Sorry!”

Liam glared at him and tossed it back, muttering. “At least you’re on target. Ow!” He growled as another ball hit him lightly on the head. “Stiles!”

 

“So…earlier,” Liam started as he switched places with Stiles again, the lamps around the field turning on; another pair of players taking up positions at the opposite goal. “In the weight room…”

“Yeah?” Stiles raised his hand to acknowledge his teammates and turned back to Liam. “You lifted too much, it’s fine. Me and Mason eventually got you free, haha. Maybe you should get Scott to spot you from now on!”

“Yeah,” Liam muttered, looking down at his arms. “Um, it wasn’t too heavy, I just, I got into my head about the Berserkers.”

“Oh?” Stiles threw the ball back at him, but his boyfriend just stared at it. “What’s wrong, Liam?”

“They’re scary.” He finally looked up. “Well, more, I’m scared that they could hurt you, or Mason, or my parents. And we don’t really know how to stop them.”

“Yes, we do.” Stiles walked over to him, resting a comforting hand on Liam’s shoulder. He took his own helmet off with his other hand, night air cool on his flushed skin. “Brute force seemed to stop them, at least for a while. Maybe I can run one of them over with my Jeep?”

“Stiles…” Liam groaned, but his lips twitched into a smile. “You wanna try using your bat too?”

“Oh, good idea!” He helped Liam pull off his helmet and tilted the younger teenager’s face upwards. “It’ll be fine, it’s all gonna be fine.” Stiles kissed him softly, ignoring the sudden wolf-whistles nearby. “Crap, guess our time is up, huh?”

“Yeah, Greenberg and, um…”

“Banks,” Stiles finished for him, nodding at his fellow Juniors. “We’re done. C’mon, Liam.” He picked up their equipment as Liam took his sticks from Stiles and the two of them walked across the field towards the parking lot. “We can shower when we get back to my house, ok?”

“Sure!” Liam grinned slyly until Stiles shook his head. “What?”

“Um, we can’t.” Stiles juggled his bag and sticks with his car keys, glancing at Liam across the hood. “Coach’s orders, remember?”

“Aww, c’mon, Stiles, I’m already a werewolf!” Liam’s eyes glowed yellow for a moment and he smirked. “I can be plenty aggressive.”

“And some of us aren’t werewolves.”

“Yeah, but…” He flushed, before continuing as Stiles managed to open the door and dump his equipment onto the back seats. “I recharge quickly, you know that, so, maybe you can-”

“What? Suck you off and hope I don’t cum just based on that?” Stiles laughed at him and shook his head. “Like I’m going to be able to resist when you look so hot just after!”

“Fine, but tomorrow, _right_ after the game.” Liam promised, cheeks pink. He leaned across the gearstick and kissed Stiles. “Ok?”

“Sure.” He laughed and pecked Liam on the lips. “Let’s go.”

 

Stiles finished pulling his books from his bag and spread them out on his desk, patting his face as another water drop rolled down from his hair. He looked up as Liam shuffled into his room, a short towel wrapped around his waist. _Crap. He’s doing this deliberately…_ Stiles swallowed hard, eyes lingering on his boyfriend’s back and ass once the towel slipped and Liam finished drying himself. “Uh, I have an assignment…”

“Alright.” Liam glanced at him, eyes sparkling as he smirked. “I’ll just chill, ok?”

“Sure.” Stiles muttered as Liam mercifully pulled on his underwear and pants. “That won’t be distracting at all.” He kept watching as his boyfriend sniffed a t-shirt, shrugged, and then pulled it on. “That’s mine.”

“I know.” Liam sighed contentedly and collapsed face first onto the bed. 

“Right.” Stiles chuckled, turning back to the books. _Werewolves…_ He paused, pen raised as Liam’s stomach rumbled noisily. “Err?”

“Sorry, I’m starving.” Liam turned on his side to look mournfully at Stiles.

“I know, pup, let me just set up first and then I’ll see what food we have.”

“Fine.” Liam muttered, crawling up the bed to burrow his head between Stiles’ pillows. _Oh, yeah! Oh, that smells great!_ He drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes, Stiles’ scent pulled into his lungs, his mouth drooling slightly. _Almost as good as food…_

Stiles watched his boyfriend for a minute, before pulling his eyes back to the books. “Um, five minutes…”

 

Stiles glanced at the door as his father knocked on the door jam. “Hey, Dad.”

"Drop what you're doing, I'm taking you both out to dinner!" The Sheriff announced, grinning at them, his good mood tangible. “C’mon!”

Liam looked up hopefully, rolling onto his side. _Dinner?_

"Whatever you want!"

Stiles dropped his pen and looked at his father frowning, "Err, Dad, I don't think a man of your debt should be treating anyone, to anything!"

Liam whined in his throat without realizing it as he smelt the Sheriff's surprise and hurt. _Stiles, you dummy! We were about to get food!_

"Well, there's one debt we no longer have to worry about!" The Sheriff pulled out a letter from his back pocket and brandished it in front of him.

"What's that?"

"Letter of apology from Eichen House," The Sheriff explained, looking at them both, "Apparently they've decided to forgive our debt due to, uh..."

Stiles looked up at him expectantly. “Yeah?”

"You, Lydia, and Liam almost getting murdered by one of their orderlies."

"Wow." Liam muttered, meeting his boyfriend’s surprised gaze. “Really?”

"Yeah, awesome!" Stiles grinned suddenly, relief flooding his scent. "I've never been so happy to have almost gotten murdered!"

"Well, uh, look, we're not out of it yet, but um, we'll be ok." The Sheriff said, Stiles still smiling. "And, at least for the moment, I can afford to bring my son and his boyfriend out to dinner!" He looked at Liam, brows quirked. “Pizza good for you?”

“Anything is good for me!” Liam nodded eagerly, reaching over to his gym bag to pull out socks. “Err, give me a minute.”

Stiles closed his books and stood up next to Liam, happiness suffusing the air around them. “This is great news, Dad!”


	60. Game Time

Stiles opened the door to the locker room, Liam trailing after him, still talking.

“…and then if he doesn’t come, we’re going to lose our mid-field strength, and-”

“Liam!” Stiles whirled around, gear bag slapping against his waist. “Enough. Scott will be here. Kira too. Just give them more time. And take a breath, you’ve been talking about it non-stop for twenty minutes!”

“But they missed lunchtime practice!” His boyfriend sighed loudly and looked at him. “What?”

“I told you then, and I’m telling you again.” Stiles fished out his phone and showed Liam the text chain, before turning around to dump his bag and stick on the bench. “See? I got a text from Scott this morning, he said he might be a little late, so, relax, pup, it's fine."

Liam glared at his back as the other members of the team snickered at him. He put his bag down next to Stiles and folded his arms. “That’s not good enough.”

“So, Scott’s running a little late, he’s probably just getting something to eat or talking to his Mom.” Stiles gestured vaguely. “He’ll be here.”

"Well, how late is late?" Liam demanded. "Is he always late? We're playing Devenford Prep again, and this time it's for real!"

"Alright, Liam, calm down, it'll be ok." Stiles reached for him but Liam dodged backwards.

"No, it won't! He has to be here if we want to win, he can't be late!"

"Who can't be late?" Coach Finstock turned away from berating Greenberg and looked at them.

"Err..." Stiles stammered, glaring at Liam. The werewolf pouted at him, but Stiles shook his head. _Nope, not gonna work this time, cute stuff. You tell him!_ Stiles inclined his head at the Coach meaningfully and Liam sighed.

"Um, Scott and Kira."

"They might be slightly late." Stiles added.

" _Slightly late?_ " Finstock repeated. "Slightly late is still late! What are they doing?"

“Um…” Stiles pressed his lips together angrily and Liam stared at the floor to avoid looking at his boyfriend, his eyes shot up as Stiles offered a lame excuse, “Well, err, Coach, they’re doing something that would make them slightly late.”

"What could Scott and Kira be doing right now that is more important than playing in the first game of the season?!"

"Oh, yeah, uh…." Stiles sighed, wincing. Liam grimaced and shuffled backwards behind him. The two teenagers looked at each other and then at Coach as realization began to creep across the man's face. "Yeah..."

“Right before the game, really?” Coach Finstock glared at them and then turned to address the whole team. “I told you all on Monday how important it was to conserve your strength and energy for the game _tonight!_ Though how you’re all meant to do that when the team captain is giving such a _great_ example…” He trailed off, shook his head and walked toward his office. “Finish getting changed, and make sure McCall sees me before the game, Stilinski!”

“Yup, will do, Coach!” Stiles called out cheerfully and smirked at his boyfriend. “See? Didn’t go too badly at all!”

“He’s still late, Stiles.” 

 

“Ok, so maybe Scott isn’t here.” Liam said as Stiles helped to tug his jersey over his pads. “Thanks. But we can do this, right?”

“Yeah, of course.” Stiles nodded, smirking at him. “You know, you look really cute with your hair all messed up!”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.” Stiles cleared his throat as Liam side-eyed him. “Ok. Yeah, Coach is freaking out, but he’s put me back on defense, so that’s good; it’s my best position. I’m also going to be there for the throw-in, so, he’s probably thinking about an aggressive strategy, which will make best use of your talents.”

“Throw-in?” Liam repeated, grabbing his stick and leading the way out to the field. “You know you’ll be up against Brett, right?”

“I know, I can handle him myself because…” He trailed off and looked at Liam expectantly.

“We don’t use werewolf powers on the field.” Liam dutifully replied. “Ok, just be careful, I don’t think my step-dad will be able to handle it if you bust your stitches again.”

“Well, I guess that makes it your responsibility to make sure that the hunky Preppie doesn’t ram me, err, ram into me…That makes it better, right?” Stiles smirked at him. “No?”

“You’re shameless.”

“I’m horny.”

“Exactly!” Liam glared at him, but the expression was ruined when he burst into laughter a moment later. “Haha, alright, Stiles, let’s go!”

“So, is Dr Geyer here?” Stiles asked, pausing to wave across the crowded side-lines to his Dad and Malia as they came in.

“He said he would.” Liam searched the bleachers and shrugged. “He might have been called in for an emergency or something.”

“Or he might still be on his way.” Stiles took his hand and squeezed gently. “There’s still fifteen minutes before we start.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Liam nodded and sat down on the bench, Stiles sliding over so they were next to each other. There was silence for a minute, until the werewolf glanced at his boyfriend. “Do you think Scott is ok? It’s weird that he’d miss a game, especially against Devenford.”

“Yeah, I know.” Stiles chewed his lip, frowning. “I think he and Kira had a date last night, so maybe it boiled over into this morning. But, no, Scott would be here, or he would’ve called, texted even.”

"Do you think something happened to him?"

"He's the True Alpha," Stiles whispered to Liam, "He'll be fine; maybe he’s chasing a lead on Kate Argent and lost track of time. I’m sure it’s nothing."

"Ok, but-"

"Concentrate on the game, Liam." Stiles kissed him on the cheek, grinning at the catcalls and whistles from a group of Freshman girls behind them. "You'll be great, because you _are_ great!"

"Yeah, but without Scott...we're gonna lose."

"No, we're not." Stiles shook his head, pulling on his gloves, "We're just as good without him!" He looked at Liam, smiling confidently until his boyfriend nodded and leaned into him.

"Save it for the after-party, fellas!" Coach boomed at them. "Let's go! Onto the field, now, everyone, go, go, go!"

 

Stiles met Brett’s eyes as the werewolf smirked suggestively at him, both hunched over, ready for the throw-in. “What?”

“Nothing.” Brett’s grin got bigger, “Just what my nose tells me…”

“Your…huh?” Stiles frowned, glancing up as the referee approached them, his pulse ticking higher when he realized what Brett was talking about. _Crap. He can smell how horny I am?_

“I know you have Liam, but maybe afterwards we can-”

“Begin!” The referee’s whistle blasted in his ear and Stiles blinked, disorientated by Brett’s forwardness.

“Fuck!” Stiles spluttered as the other player snatched the ball from him, exploiting his distracted state to push him aside. 

“Stilinski! Get moving!”

“Yes, Coach!” Stiles called back and jumped up in time to see Brett tear through their defenses and toss the ball with practiced ease into the back of the net. “Great start, Stiles.”

Liam smiled at him and patted his shoulder as he ran past. “It’s ok!”

“Yup.” Stiles watched as Greenberg took the reset, rolling his eyes as the mid-fielder was immediately tackled and the ball forfeited to Brett again. Liam charged forward to intercept, forcing Brett to pass the ball. Stiles ran forward, trying to grab it before the other Devenford players could get there. _Come on! Come on!_ He slid to a halt, stick waving in the air, but the ball bounced off his helmet and Stiles groaned, a Devenford player crashing into him. They both went down, but Stiles cheered as Liam scooped up the ball and sprinted down the field. “Oh yeah!” He cried out, Liam managing to flick the ball into the goal before Brett could tackle him.

Liam grinned as the crowd cheered for him, his eyes sweeping the stands. _Ah! He made it!_ His smile widened when he caught sight of his step-father clapping for him near the Sheriff. The werewolf nodded to himself and ran back towards the center, in time to see Greenberg lose the ball to interception by Brett. _Uh oh. They’re gonna do the “V”!_ Liam ran faster, seeing two other players join their captain and the three of them charging down the field in a wedge shape.

Stiles was still getting his bearings after being tackled, his jaw tight and painful. He glanced behind him in time to see the three Devenford players, before Brett shouldered him hard and the other two slammed into him from two different angles, hitting him hard enough to send him sprawling onto his back. “Argh!” The shrill blast of the referee’s whistle signalled another score for Devenford and Stiles squeezed his eyes tight, avoiding the urge to bite down and control the pain that lanced across his face; the vertical line of healing flesh had turned into a pulsing mass of agony and heat. He rolled over onto his hands and knees, resting his helmet on the grass, ears ringing from the impact. _Fuck!_ Stiles groaned, feeling between the bars of his helmet to touch the wetness dripping across his face. _Damn it! Can I go two days-_

“Stiles!” Liam crouched beside him on one side, the referee on his other.

“Are you alright?”

“Fine.” Stiles muttered, raising his fist to give them the thumbs up. “I’m fine.”

“Ok.” The referee moved away, and Stiles heard him warn Brett.

“Stiles, are you sure you’re ok?” Liam helped him up, but his boyfriend was looking away from him, towards Brett. “Him!”

“No! Liam!” Stiles grabbed his arm as the werewolf snarled menacingly. “I know it’s close to the full moon, but you got this, stay in control.”

“I am in control.” 

"Well, at least we have progress on that."

“I still want to punch his lights out!” Liam growled in his throat. He looked at the scoreboard and back at Stiles. “We need Scott and Kira, we’re getting our asses handed to us here!”

"Yeah, ok, I'm gonna call Scott again."

"Mmh." Liam watched him limp off the field, another player coming to replace him as Coach screamed at them to play better. “You’re gonna regret that, Brett!”

 

Stiles grimaced as Devenford scored again, four points up, only Liam’s goal from their side putting a point on the home team board. “At least it won’t be a whitewash…” He lowered his head, when Coach looked his way, texting Scott again. _No answer at all, this is bad. That text this morning, it sounded like him, but what if it wasn’t? The only thing I’m really afraid of hurting Scott are those Berserkers. Damn it, we’ve been acting as though everything is fine and back to normal, but it isn’t._ Stiles looked up as the whistle blew, signalling the end of the quarter. 

Liam hung his head in defeat and followed the rest of the team as they trudged towards their side-line, dragging their sticks behind them. He sat down next to Stiles, and pulled his helmet off, wiping a hand across his brow. “Damn, we’re losing bad.”

“Maybe you’ll pull it back in the next quarter.” Stiles replied thickly.

“Huh? I didn’t catch that.” Liam said, pouring the bottle of water over his face and hair.

“Hang on.” Stiles pulled off his gloves and carefully undid the straps tightening his helmet, lifting it off. Liam was staring at him. “So, it looks worse than it feels?”

“Shit!” Liam exclaimed, staring at the jagged cut along Stiles’ jaw, the gauze bandage ripped off, blood smeared across his cheek and chin, staining the side of his neck a dark crimson. “I’m gonna kill him!” Liam jumped up and tried to charge across to Brett’s side, but Stiles dived forward and wrapped his arms around the werewolf’s waist. “Let me go!”

“No!” Stiles grunted and fell backwards onto the grass, dragging Liam down with him. “Stop it, you’re making a scene!”

“You’re covered in blood!” Liam replied indignantly, but he stopped wriggling when he noticed that the rest of the team were laughing at them. “Fine, I’m calm. Let me up.”

“Ok.” Stiles stood, running a hand carefully across his injury as Liam clambered up by himself. The team had quietened suddenly but were still looking his way. “It’s not as bad as it looks!”

“Stop that!” Liam batted his hands away from his face. “You’ll just infect it. This is my fault; I got you that note when you weren’t ready.”

"No, Liam, it’s mine, I should’ve known better than playing tonight."

"I'm gonna-"

"No!" Stiles broke in, face grim as he grabbed the back of Liam’s jersey. "You're gonna win, but you're gonna do it right, yeah?"

"Ok, Stiles." Liam bowed his head, placing his hand on Stiles' bare arm to leech away some of the pain. "Ow, that’s bad...What about Scott?"

"I tried both Scott and Kira and neither of them are answering, so I gotta go see what's going on."

"You're leaving?" Liam looked even more worried. "What are you gonna tell Coach?"

Stiles smirked and gestured at his face, "I don't think I need to tell him anything. Just win this game for us, ok?"

"Ok."

“And don’t get sent off.”

“I won’t.” Liam promised even as he glowered at Brett. _And I was gonna set you up with Mason, you jerk! Ally of the pack my ass!_

"Err, Coach?" 

"What is it, Stil..." Finstock trailed off, staring at him. "What the hell, Stilinski?"

"I need to go to the nur-"

"Yeah, yeah, just get out of here." The Coach turned away from him. “Greenberg, you’re off. Banks, get that jersey on! Connor, you’re replacing Stilinski!”

_Your concern touches me._ Stiles thought to himself, offering Liam a small smile as he passed, heading towards the stands. His father was looking at him, frowning. _And now for too much concern…_


	61. The Anchorless Wolf

“Uh, hey, Dad.” Stiles started, pressing his lips together as Malia and his father stared at him, their jaws slackened. He gestured vaguely at his face. “It looks a lot worse than it is, but, I need your help.”

“Yeah, ok, ER?” The Sheriff blinked, standing up. “And, wait, I thought you said you were fit for playing?”

“Err, that’s not really important right now. But we have to go. Not to the hospital,” Stiles dismissed his concerns and glanced at Malia. “Scott and Kira are missing, well, I haven’t spoken to him since last night, and no way would his miss this game, so either he did get to bonetown-”

“Stiles!” The Sheriff rebuked him sternly.

“Sorry,” He sniggered, but smoothed his expression after a moment. “Or something went seriously wrong in their search for answers about the Berserkers.”

“What can I do?” Malia asked, gathering her sweater. “He was having a date with Kira, right?

“That was last night.” Stiles shrugged. “I’m thinking something might have happened this morning, he was talking about finding out more about Kate Argent’s plans, maybe he’s with Chris? Regardless, we could do with the hunter right now.”

“I’ll go find him.”

“Stiles, you need stitches.” The Sheriff put a hand on his son’s arm and guided him towards his cruiser firmly. “And possibly your ADHD meds.”

“What? No, I-” Stiles twisted in his grip, glancing back at where Liam was sitting dejected on the bench. “Dad, I’m going to find Scott, and we need-”

“No, Stiles. ER. Now.”

“You have a first aid kit; just patch me up!” Stiles protested, following his father over to the car. He lingered at the door, sighing in response to the questioning frown. “I’m not sure about leaving Liam alone, he kinda needs me.”

"Didn’t you just say that Scott needs you?”

“Yeah, but I’m-”

“Suffering from blood loss.” The Sheriff cut across him and started the engine. “Get in!”

 

Liam chewed his lip nervously as he heard the Sheriff’s cruiser drive off, a knot of tension tightening in his stomach. _It’s fine, it’s just like those nights when he doesn’t sleep over. He’s still with me, just further away…I’m fine, I can control this, yeah._ The werewolf looked up as the clouds parted and the nearly full moon was revealed. Liam swallowed hard and pulled his helmet back on, getting ready for the next quarter. He glanced across to where Brett was standing, the other werewolf talking to his team, but Liam pulled his eyes away before he was caught, gaze falling on Stiles’ helmet instead, the inside splashed with his boyfriend’s blood. The scent assaulted his nostrils and he breathed in, the coppery tang heavy on his tongue. Liam curled his hands into fists as a current of rage jolted through him, looking back at Brett. _You did this…_

"Liam!"

He started as Coach screamed his name in his ear, dropping Stiles’ helmet onto the grass.

"Get on the field!"

“Yes, Coach.” The werewolf replied determinedly, striding onto the pitch and glaring at Brett as they squared up for the reset. “Hey Brett?”

“Yeah?”

“No matter what might have happened off the field, I’m not going to go easy on you.” Liam growled as they bent down, sticks at the ready, the referee walking towards them. He smirked suddenly. “I thought you knew Stiles was my anchor, you shouldn’t have hurt him.”

“Liam, I-”

“Ready?” The man glanced between them, and then blew his whistle. 

“Ah!” Liam snatched the ball from Brett and skipped away, charging down the field, shouldering through the Devenford defenses and hurling the ball towards the goal, grinning savagely when he scored. He looked back at Brett as the home crowd cheered and his team clapped him on the back. _No one takes my anchor away!_

Brett lost the ball as Banks charged into him, allowing Liam to scoop it back up and run down the field again. He passed quickly, ducking the elbow that was meant to smash into his face. “Prick.” Liam muttered, staggering forward as the Devenford player shoved him hard. “Grr!” The werewolf turned quickly, pulling one of his gloves off, ready to fight, but the referee’s whistle screamed, and Liam forced himself to walk away, holding the other glove up to his faceguard, the faint scent of his boyfriend lingering on the fabric from the night before. Banks took the penalty, but lost possession when Brett intercepted his pass. Liam stood ready to stop him, grinding his teeth, trying to resist the urge to let his fangs slide down, aggression pumping in his ears. _You gotta relax, stay calm, ignore the fact that he hurt Stiles, made him bleed…we can make him bleed; jump up, use the extra reach to wipe that smug smile off his face with my claws…Stiles wouldn’t…_ He grimaced and looked away, claws shredding the inside of his gloves. Brett ran past him without challenge and Devenford scored again. 

"Liam!" Coach Finstock screamed at him, before smashing his clipboard on the ground in frustration. “Liam, do something!”

“Sorry, Coach.” Liam muttered, eyes closed, heart pounding as he struggled to maintain control. He pictured Stiles’ eyes and pressed his glove back to his face guard, his claws and fangs retracting after a minute of standing still. He had tuned out everything,   
blinking as he heard Finstock yelling from the side-lines again.

“Liam! What are you doing?! For the love of god, move!”

“Right.” Liam nodded and ran back towards the center for the reset, looking at the score board. “Seven-two, ok.”

 

“I’m fine, really!” Stiles insisted, batting away Melissa’s hands as she tried to clean the dried blood from his face. He was sitting on her kitchen table, his father on one side with the first aid kit, and the nurse on the other, glaring at him. “I’m meant to be looking for Scott.”

“Which you can’t do walking around as a biohazard.” Melissa sighed at him, and Stiles grunted, but stopped resisting. “Good, hold still. Honestly, Stiles, how many times have you broken these stitches?”

“I dunno, I lost count after four.” He shrugged, wincing as the wet gauze passed over the cut. “Maybe if the craziness dies down sometime soon, I can just heal up and not be constantly covered in blood.” Stiles looked down at the crimson splotches on his forearm and hand. “Can you just patch it up, and let me go?”

“Look,” Melissa said as she gestured for the Sheriff to hold a flashlight up to the wound. “The last I heard from Scott was this morning. He said everything was fine, but he’d be busy until the game.”

“Ok, but how do you-”

“Stop talking.” She ordered, searching through the first aid kit for the sutures. “I know that’s difficult for you, Stiles, but please.”

“Mmh hmm.” Stiles mumbled, watching as she picked up the packet. He was about to speak again, commenting on how he was used to the needle now, when Melissa looked sharply at him. “Mmph.”

“Good.” She nodded, using her gloved fingers to pinch the two edges of the wound towards each other, her right hand quickly placing a temporary suture through it.

“Ah!” Stiles groaned in pain.

“I know it’s sore, try and keep still. And quiet.”

“Mmh.” _Yeah, it’s sore!_ He thought to himself, quickly closing his eyes as he saw her expression of intense concentration. _I hope you’re doing ok, Liam, could really do with you here to take the pain…_

 

Liam glared angrily at his teammates as Devenford scored again, driving them further behind, their temporary rally crushed. _Seven points down! Are you kidding me? We’ve lost already._ The defeatist thoughts echoed in his mind and Liam trudged back towards the opposition goal, looking up suddenly as the ball came his way. He reached out and caught it in the pocket of his lacrosse stick, turning to run forwards, dodging two of the Devenford players successfully until Brett stepped into his path and tackled him hard. The two werewolves fell heavily to the ground, the ball passed seconds beforehand. Liam groaned as he pushed Brett off him, and he wrenched his helmet off to glare at the teenager. "What the hell did you do that for?!"

"Because you're too angry, I could smell it from you from across the field." Brett shrugged, standing up. “Is it because Stiles isn’t here?”

“What do you think?” Liam snarled at him, standing up.

“He’s your anchor, great.” Brett shook his head. “But right now, you’re letting him weigh you down. Be your own person, Liam, and own your shit.”

“What?” 

“Control.” Brett looked directly at him. “Repeat this: the Sun, the Moon, the Truth. You’ll calm down, c’mon, give it a try.”

Liam glared at him, the rage threatening to bubble over and make him lash out. He was vibrating with fury when Brett placed his hand on his shoulder.

“Say it.”

“The Sun, the Moon, the Truth.” Liam replied through gritted teeth, eyes narrowed as Brett maintained his unwelcome touch. “Happy?”

“Again, like you mean it.” Brett whispered urgently as the referee came towards them. “Liam!”

“Fine: the Sun, the Moon, the Truth. The Sun, the Moon, the Truth.” He spoke quickly at first, slowing as the words had a greater impact; his pulse easing, anger receding. 

"Are you fit to play?" Liam nodded. The man turned to Brett. "Are you planning on pulling something like that again?"

"Only if I have to!" Brett smirked and danced away, leaving Liam to stare in confusion after him.

“Whatever.” The werewolf muttered, glancing at the scoreboard as the last minute ticked down. _The Sun, the Moon, the Truth…huh, I do feel calmer. Not as good as Stiles, though._

 

“And…done!” Melissa finished, patting the edge of the dressing along Stiles’ jaw gently. “You can open your eyes now.”

“Can I speak too?” Stiles muttered, wincing in pain. “Ah, man, it hurts really bad.”

“Take these.” His father handed him two painkillers and a glass of water. “Melissa, thanks.”

“Right. Just tell me when you find Scott.” She stripped the gloves off and nodded at Stiles. “I’m not sure if he told you where the date was last night; Derek Hale’s loft.”

“Why there?” Stiles asked, sliding off the table. 

“He had something special planned. Scott seemed really excited about it.” She shrugged, worry creasing her face now that the medical emergency was over. “Stiles, I…”

“We’ll find him.” He nodded determinedly, groaned in pain, and then looked at his father. “Dad, I’m going to need you to drive me…”

 

Liam sat on the bench in the locker room, wet hair sticking to his forehead after the shower. The mood had been sombre, and Coach had shouted for ten minutes straight until he slammed his office door shut, muttering about how Scott and Kira had blown off…He never caught the rest of it, the raucous celebration of Devenford next door had been too loud. Liam stared at the floor, the last one in the locker room, glancing up from time to time at Stiles’ locker opposite him, his phone was silent; no messages. The werewolf sighed and made to stand up, freezing when he heard-and smelt-Brett coming towards him. He sat back down. “What do you want?”

“You ok?”

“What do you think?” Liam replied scathingly, "We lost. And your goons broke my boyfriend's stitches again!"

"But you're ok, right?"

"Pfft!" Liam grunted and shook his head, "Well, why did you do that? Why did you help me? It's not a..." He looked around to make sure no one was listening. "Not a pack thing."

"Because of Scott, pack thing or not." Brett smiled slightly. "He saved me, he saved all of us. Helping you rescue Stiles was the right thing to do. But that doesn’t mean your control just comes from your anchor, when you can finally resist the urge to shift and the anger that comes with it on your own, you won’t need Stiles anymore.”

“And what? I need you instead?” Liam growled, eyes flashing yellow. 

“No.” Brett replied calmly. “Besides, you have Scott, the True Alpha. You don’t realize how lucky you are, Liam, to have him as your Alpha; he’s strong, he endures, no matter what is thrown at him. You can learn a lot from him.”

_Like knowing the different types of squirrel piss?_ Liam shrugged, looking back at Stiles’ locker. Brett stayed for a moment longer, before he left, his lingering scent a mix of concern and satisfaction. _Sure, Scott is important. But Stiles is my anchor, my boyfriend, my world. I’m gonna call him again._ He picked up his phone and quickly dialled the number, his pulse spiking as he got through.

“Hey, Liam.”

“Stiles!”

“Sorry for not calling you back, we’ve had a bit of a complication.”

“Is Scott ok?”

“Um,” Stiles paused, and Liam’s heartbeat climbed higher. “No, actually, not at all. He’s in Mexico. Deaton found…well, it’s easier if you come over. My keys are in my locker, you remember how to drive, right?”

“Uh, kinda.” Liam stood up. “I’ll come over?”

“Yeah, I’ll text you the address.” 

As his boyfriend hung up, Liam whined in his throat, he knew Stiles well enough by now to tell how afraid he was. He stood up and quickly texted his step-father and Mason. _Can’t have dinner with you, werewolf stuff._ Liam smiled slightly at how odd that message would have been only a week before. “Ok, let’s go.”


	62. Waiting

Liam grunted as the gearshift got stuck and the engine squealed in protest. “Stupid! Put it into Drive.” He flushed, looking around the empty parking lot to make sure no one had witnessed his mistake. “Ok, try again…Yay!” The werewolf grinned proudly as the Jeep started to roll forward and he jiggled the steering wheel left and right, keeping it in between the two painted lines. It was weird driving without Stiles next to him, correcting his grip or telling him to speed up, and Liam felt his stomach clench with tension. Stiles had said that Scott was in danger, that something bad had happened to him and Kira. “And it’s in Mexico, isn’t that where he was before?” Liam muttered, turning off the street, following the silent commands of his phone guiding him towards the address that Stiles had given him. “I don’t like this, not at all.” The Beta frowned as he reached his destination, the strong front beams of the Jeep picking up Stiles and his father standing on the pavement outside the block of apartments, clearly arguing. He stopped suddenly, braking too hard, and pulled his seat belt off, climbing out of the Jeep quickly.

“Dad, you’re not listening to me!” Stiles said, glancing over his shoulder as the powerful lights dimmed. “Scott and Kira have been taken, we need to get them back!”

“Stiles, I really don’t think-”

“Hey!” Liam cried out, running across the street towards them, unaware that his eyes were glowing yellow.

“Crap.” Stiles muttered and dashed forward, catching Liam around the middle and using his boyfriend’s momentum to spin him around, out of reach of his father. The werewolf looked at him curiously, but let Stiles hug him. “Oh.”

“What?”

“Uh, I thought you were on the attack.” Stiles scratched the back of his head awkwardly, shrugging apologetically at them both. “Your eyes are glowing.”

“What?” Liam repeated, putting his hands up, before lowering them, feeling silly. He rested his head against Stiles’ jersey and breathed in deeply, the scent anchoring him and allowing his eyes to fade back to their natural color. “Sorry, um, what’s happening?”

Stiles kept his arm around Liam, leading him back to the Sheriff. “As I was explaining to my Dad, Scott and Kira have been kidnapped by Kate Argent and the Berserkers.”

“Shit.” 

“Oh, don’t worry, it gets worse.” He said, forcing the smile on his face. “She’s taken them to some ruined church in Mexico and Deaton thinks she might be trying to do the same thing to Scott as she did to Derek; steal his powers.” Stiles added when Liam looked blankly at him. “That will stop him being an Alpha, hell, it stripped Derek of his werewolfness entirely!”

“Ok, so we’re getting them back right?” Liam tilted his head against Stiles’ shoulder to look up at him. “Right?”

“Of course!”

“Uh, hang on a minute, you are _not_ going to Mexico! Either of you!" The Sheriff pointed at his son, "But especially you, Stiles!"

"Dad, Scott and Kira have been kidnapped and taken to a church in the middle of the freakin’ desert, ok? I think that's a pretty good reason for a trip to Mexico!" Stiles hugged Liam to him tighter. "Relax, I'll have my own personal werewolf bodyguard with me! Locked and loaded and super-cute!”

Liam rolled his eyes, but nodded seriously when Stiles’ Dad looked at him. “Yup, I can protect him.”

“Stiles, this is way out of my jurisdiction, we need to go through the proper channels, maybe alert Scott’s father-”

“Him?!”

“I’m just saying that the area near the border is one of the most dangerous regions in Mexico.” The Sheriff’s face creased with worry. “Let me do-”

“No, there’s no time for following the red tape, Dad!” Stiles broke in, gesturing wildly with his free hand. “If we don’t leave right now, who knows what Kate is going to be able to do with Scott and Kira.”

“Plus, she is a were-jaguar, and has a bunch of large bear-men in bone armor,” Liam added innocently. “I don’t think the Border Patrol guys are trained to handle that…”

"Yes! Exactly!" Stiles cried out triumphantly, and bent his head to kiss Liam hard on the cheek. "See? I have to go!"

“Stiles…” The Sheriff shook his head again, “The desert is a big place, I know you have the ‘vision’ from Deaton, however that’s meant to help you, but you need more resources than just you, Liam, and Malia.”

“There were bone fragments in the loft, and Malia or Liam can get the scent from Kate’s presence.” 

“Ok, but hear me out.” His father raised his hands to ward off any argument. “Give me twelve hours, I have some contacts down there, I’ll go through the channels, see if they’ve seen anything, and then if nothing turns up, then we’ll all go. Ok?”

“Twelve hours? But-” Stiles started to speak again, but Liam tugged sharply on the front of his jersey. “What?”

“Your Dad is right, you shouldn’t go rushing off.” The werewolf reached up to gently trace the new bandage on Stiles’ jawline. “Let’s give this some time to heal and get a good night’s sleep. We’ll be able to think better then.”

“Yeah, ok, fine.” Stiles sighed, seeing his boyfriend and his father looking at him expectantly. “Can I at least get a gun? If there are all these cartels around…?”

“Um, no.” The Sheriff looked at Liam, "I thought you had a locked and loaded werewolf?"

"Yeah!" The Beta grinned at Stiles and let his fangs show. “Rawr!”

 _Ohhh! That is too cute!_ Stiles smirked and hugged Liam closer to him. “Ok, ok, no gun…”

 

Liam dropped his car keys onto the desk and closed the door, Stiles groaning as he rolled onto his bed, tiredness overwhelming him suddenly. His father had gone straight to the Sheriff’s Station after giving them strict instructions to sleep and rest. Stiles hadn’t noticed the significance of his father’s words until Liam climbed onto the bed and laid beside him. _He was talking to both of us. I know he’s probably aware that we’re intimate like that, at least he hasn’t asked me outright…_

“Hey, Stiles?”

“Mmh.” He murmured sleepily. “What is it?”

“So, you remember yesterday when you said that we couldn’t have any fun because of the game?” Liam rolled over to look at him and Stiles smirked as he felt the teenager’s hardon press against his thigh. “The game is over now…”

“I remember.” Stiles stretched his arms behind his head, glancing at his boyfriend. “So, did we lose?”

“Yeah, sorry.” Liam replied in a small voice, breaking eye contact. He blinked when Stiles reached over, gently lifting his chin up, a smile playing about his lips. 

“You did your best, Liam, it’s all you could do.” Stiles kissed him softly.

“I know. But, um, Brett taught me this really cool way of keeping control.”

“Yeah?”

“Remember when we helped save him from the Orphans, and he kept chanting, ‘the Sun, the Moon, the Truth’?” Liam trailed his eyes over Stiles’ face as his boyfriend lay back on the bed. “Well, it works on me too! So, now I can stay in control just by saying those words and I don’t need you anymore!”

Stiles’ brows shot up, but nodded, his voice careful. “I see. Well, I’m happy that you can have control without me.”

“No, Stiles, wait.” Liam whined as the teenager turned on his side, back to him. His nose twitched on smelling the sharp twist of Stiles’ hurt feelings flowing through his scent. “I didn’t mean it like _that_! It came out wrong, of course I still need you. Stiles!” The werewolf whined again, nudging his boyfriend’s arm with his nose and pressing his forehead against the base of Stiles’ neck. “Please don’t be mad at me.”

“I’m not.” Stiles muttered, rolling back over, Liam taking the opportunity to climb on top of him, getting as close as possible. “You just need to work on your communication skills!”

“Great!” He beamed, shuffling forward until he could kiss Stiles again. “I’ll always need you.”

“Yeah, I can feel that need, pressing against my own.” Stiles smirked, keeping one hand on Liam’s back, the other trailing down to rest on his ass. The werewolf bucked eagerly against him, but Stiles shook his head. “I’m wiped, Liam; the game, Scott and Kira, the blood loss earlier, I, I can’t right now. Can you wait until the morning?”

“Sure, it’ll be even better then!” Liam nodded after a moment. He got up suddenly, “Oh, I just remembered.”

“What?” Stiles watched him rummage through his lacrosse bag, pulling out a small blister pack of pills. “Liam, what are they for?”

“It’s Temazepam.” The werewolf came back over and showed the package to Stiles. “I swiped them off my step-dad this morning. I thought if you got hurt during the game, you could sleep it…” He trailed off as Stiles glared at him. “What?”

“I appreciate the gesture, pup, but that was a stupid thing to do.”

“He’s not gonna notice.” Liam replied defensively. “But if you don’t want to take them?”

“I’m fine, I’m already tired.” Stiles sat up, pulling his jersey off and tossing the undershirt into the laundry pile. He grunted, reaching down to push his shorts off, throwing them across the room too. “Now, get your sweet shirtless self into bed with me, and let’s go to sleep! Full moon tomorrow, I need you rested and ready, pup.”

“Ok.” Liam smiled sheepishly at him, leaving the pills on the desk, and stripped out of his t-shirt and sweats, climbing under the duvet next to Stiles. His boyfriend flicked off the light, and Liam snuggled closer. “Can I sleep _on_ you, that’s my favorite place.”

“Hehe, I know.” Stiles laughed softly, kissing the top of his head as the werewolf pressed into him, head on his chest.


	63. Moon Volatility

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some sexual content in the beginning of this chapter, enjoy or skip over it, whichever you wish.

Liam mumbled incoherently in his sleep, rolling his head to one side, nose dragging along Stiles’ bare chest, his boyfriend’s scent rousing him into semi-consciousness. He blinked in the morning sunlight that was streaming in through the gap in the blinds, a perfect beam falling across Stiles’ collarbone. “Ugh.” Liam groaned, still lying on top of Stiles where he had fallen asleep the previous evening. The older teenager was breathing steadily, even with the extra weight, and the werewolf smirked at him, shuffling upwards to kiss Stiles’ lips softly. He could feel the swell of his boyfriend’s cock pressing against his own morning wood and Liam grinned wider, remembering the promise from the previous evening. _But I can’t let him hurt his face again, I need to be careful. Maybe if I do it…_ Liam slipped down under the covers, sliding along Stiles’ body, eyes glowing softly so he could see better in the darkness beneath the duvet. 

Stiles’ trunks were tenting, even more now that Liam’s body was no longer constraining it. The werewolf smiled, reaching out to push the palm of his hand against the bulge, sniggering as the cotton covered spear sprung back into place. His own cock was hard again, and Liam pushed Stiles’ down, so he could pull off the tight trunks. “Almost…Yes!” Liam grabbed Stiles’ cock as soon as it was freed, jacking the hard shaft up and down a few times, before bringing it towards his mouth, tongue outstretched and eager. “Mmh!”

Stiles frowned, something had woken him, and Liam was missing; no longer a comfortable heat on his torso. “Hmm.” A half-forgotten dream pulled at him, he blinked his eyes, trying to remember it when his cock pulsed, and Stiles looked down at the large hump in the duvet near his waist. “No way…” He grabbed the edge of the comforter and whipped it back, Liam sprawled between his legs, sucking his cock like it was the most delicious treat in the world. “Uh…um, oh!”

Liam looked up at him, yellow fading from his eyes, and he took the cock from his mouth long enough to say, “Hey, Stiles!” The werewolf resumed sucking noisily, his mouth rising and falling evenly up and down the thick shaft, leaving the exposed skin glistening with his saliva. “Mmph! Mmh!” One of his hands was cradling the large, heavy balls beneath Stiles’ cock, while the other was tucked under his body; Liam stroking his own cock in time to his oral ministrations.

“Liam, you, what, uh!” Stiles spluttered, staring at him. _Oh man, that does feel good though!_ He was about to protest when Liam’s fingers slipped past his balls and into the tightness between his legs. “Ah!” Stiles arched upwards and then ground down as the pressing digits circled around his hole without going any further. After nearly a week of abstinence, this was too much, and Stiles reached out to pull Liam off his cock. “I’m cumming! Ah! Oh! Yeah! Oh! Oh! Oh!”

Liam managed to get clear just before the first volley rocketed out of Stiles’ cock. He followed it upwards with his eyes, wet lips ajar as it splattered across his boyfriend’s chest and was followed rapidly by several more jets of cum, spraying all over Stiles’ body and pooling in his naval afterwards. He was gasping and groaning, writhing against Liam’s fingers as they pressed against the entrance to his hole, quaking and bucking against him. The werewolf grinned as the moans and cries subsided, jerking him off for a few seconds more until Stiles pushed his hand away. “That was good, huh?”

“Yeah, very.” Stiles panted, breathless. He rolled his head back onto the pillow and gasped. “Wow.”

“You came everywhere!”

“I know, I’m gonna need a shower.” He groaned and sat up. “Then we better, um, you know, Scott.”

“Uh huh.” Liam watched him trail a hand across his chest, the strongest scent of Stiles was all around him now and his cock twitched needily. “Stiles…”

“Yeah?” Stiles turned back to him, grinning. “You didn’t actually think I forgot about you, right? And we really should get serious about conserving water!”

“What do you…” Liam trailed off as Stiles tilted his head suggestively. “Oh. Oh! Ok!” He leapt up and bounded after his boyfriend, taking his hand as they went towards the bathroom. 

 

“So…That was fun, right?” Stiles grinned at him as he towelled his hair dry. Liam nodded beside him, but he was more muted than before their shower. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s the full moon tonight.”

“Yeah, but you’re more in control now, right?” He patted Liam’s bare shoulder as the werewolf sat on his bed. “Or is it more about the fact that it’s been a month since you got bitten?”

“And we met a month ago.” Liam mumbled, leaning against him when Stiles sat on the edge next to him. “About the only good thing that’s happened in the last four weeks.”

“Aww, c’mon Liam, other good things have happened too.” Stiles took his hand in his own. “Don’t worry about Scott and Kira, we’ll get them back, we always figure things out, ok?”

“But-”

“No buts!” Stiles replied firmly, standing and pulling Liam up with him. “Um, though you do bring up an important point, it’s been one month since we had that first ‘date’ at Lydia’s lake house.”

“Oh yeah,” Liam looked guiltily at him, remembering his behaviour that night. “So?”

“So, uh,” Stiles released him and walked over to his wardrobe, pulling open his sock drawer. “I got you something. If Scott and Kira were still here and Kate Argent had stayed away, I was gonna surprise you with it, have some fun today, you know? I know it’s only been a month, but after everything we’ve been through, I just want you to know how much you mean to me.” 

Liam frowned at him as Stiles turned around, a small package in his hand, bright wrapping paper around it. “Um, I didn’t get you anything.”

“You didn’t have to.” Stiles reached out and took his hand, smiling as he dropped the gift into his palm. “I love you, pup, and now you can always remember that!”

“Huh?” The werewolf glanced strangely at him, before pulling off the paper and opening the velvet-covered box, his frown deepening as a small crystal figurine fell onto his palm. It took him a moment before Liam realized what he was looking at. “It’s a puppy?”

“A wolf cub.”

“Stiles,” Liam looked up at him, eyes shining. “It’s so cool! Thanks!” He rushed forward and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, kissing him deeply, and then hugging him tighter.

“Alright, alright, I get it.” Stiles laughed, pushing him back with a smile. “You like it.”

“I love it! I’m gonna keep him with me all the time!” Liam declared, grinning as he held the figurine up to the light, rainbow colors washing across his face as the sun was refracted through the crystal. He pulled his eyes away after a few minutes of looking at it, Stiles returning to the bedroom, putting his shaving equipment back. “Are we gonna get Scott now?”

“Yeah.” Stiles nodded, grimacing as he looked at his phone. “My Dad has made contact with the Mexican Federal Police, but says he needs more time. Scott doesn’t have any more time. I’ll call Malia and Lydia from the car, let’s go!”

“Where? Mexico?” Liam hurried after him, grabbing his t-shirt and hoodie.

“Not yet, we should get something belonging to each of them, help us track them down.” Stiles explained, ushering his boyfriend out the door. “We should also bring Derek and Braeden in, explain what we’re doing; she has a lot of firepower, which we’ll need to take on the Berserkers.”

“Great.” Liam muttered, carefully slipping the crystal wolf cub into his pocket. “Can’t wait.”

 

“Ok, you take that side, I’ll look in the closet.” Stiles called out to Malia and Liam as he made a beeline for Scott’s clothes, handing out various items to the werecoyote and werewolf. “Well?”

“Nope, they’re all clean.” Malia said, gesturing at the pile on the bed. “Hey, maybe-”

“Oh! Here we go!” Stiles ducked into the adjoining bathroom and thrust an arm into Scott’s laundry hamper. He pulled out a pair of boxers and dangled them in front of Liam. “Here.”

“Uh. No.” His boyfriend looked at him and shook his head. “The only underwear I’m sniffing is yours.”

“What?” Malia stared at him, and Liam flushed.

“I mean-”

"C'mon, Liam!” Stiles cut across him, waving the dirty cotton in his face. “Scott's life is on the line." 

“Grr.” Liam growled under his breath, “Fine.” He took the boxers and balled them up, pressing the fabric to his nose. “Hmm…”

“Ugh.” Malia snorted in disgust and grabbed Scott’s pillow, showing it to them. "Got it!"

“Oh, I guess that would work too.” Stiles shrugged, ducking as Liam threw the boxers back at him. “Hey!”

"They had cum stains, Stiles!"

 

Malia stopped at the front door, turning around as Stiles and Liam continued to bicker about Scott’s cummy boxers. “Stiles?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been thinking, maybe we should consider leaving Liam behind.”

“What?” He stared at her, moving closer as Liam stayed at the foot of the stairs. “Malia, we need him, we need everyone.”

“It’s the full moon, Stiles.” She pointed out, shaking her head. “Without Scott-”

“I’m his anchor, he’ll be fine.”

“But what if he isn’t?” Malia reached out to touch his shoulder, “You have me to protect you anyway, so-”

“Rawr!” Liam snarled loudly, reaching out to pull Stiles back behind him, his eyes glowing yellow. “Mine!”

"Liam, calm down." Stiles wrapped his arms around him, hugging the werewolf tightly from behind. “C’mon, pup, it’s alright, that wasn’t a challenge, it’s ok.”

“Grr!” 

“Liam.” Stiles said sternly, digging his heels in to stop his boyfriend moving forward.

“Fine.” Liam relaxed as the anger drained from his limbs, claws retracting. He closed his eyes, letting Stiles hold him. _Mine…_

“Good, better.” The older teenager nodded and kept him in a strong embrace, mouthing over Liam’s head at her, “Sorry.”

“You see?” Malia sighed. “And it’s barely midday, what is he going to be like when the moon is up fully? I am not driving to Mexico with a werewolf who could freak out and kill us both at any time.”

"I wouldn't kill Stiles." Liam muttered as Stiles let him go, scuffing his shoes against the floor in a way he knew his boyfriend found adorable.

Stiles and Malia glanced at each other after ten seconds of silence elapsed. “Uh…well, maybe we could chain him up?”

"He tore through the last chains, remember?!" She shook her head.

“Put him in the trunk?”

“He’d get out.”

"Shackles and put me on the roof?" Liam offered, growing desperate as he realized his outburst had made things worse. “Please take me with you!”

"Hmm, I don't know, Liam, I want you there, but you're already stressed out with Scott gone and the full moon, what happens when the fighting starts?"

"C'mon, Stiles!" Liam whined, begging with his eyes. "There has to be some way!"

"Heh, we'd have to freeze you in carbonite to get you down there!" He laughed, but Liam nodded eagerly.

"Ok, so where do we get, uh, carbonite?" 

_You did not just say that._ Stiles stared at him, lips pressed together, fingers interlaced. Malia looked at Liam and then at him.

"You haven't watched with him yet?"

"Not yet." Stiles grumbled, eyes narrowing. "I thought I didn't have to!"

"So, I can come, right? I can use what Brett taught me last night! You'll see, Stiles!" Liam moved closer to him, head tiled and eyes wide. “Please! I’ll be alright as long as I’m with you!”

"Fine, but you ride next to me, you stay right beside me, you don't go anywhere without me!" Stiles said, ignoring Malia's groan. He paused, replaying his words, "Err, if you're going right at the Berserkers, you can go without me."

"Yes! I won't let you down, Stiles!" Liam grinned and kissed him hard, grabbing his hand. "See? I'm right next to you!"


	64. We Have This

“Stiles?” Malia called out from the back seat as they drove towards the meeting point. “I told Derek and Braeden about Liam.”

“What?” He glanced in the rear-view mirror while Liam fidgeted with the wolf cub figurine. “What did you tell them?”

“That we’re bringing Liam, and that we’re going to need more than chains to keep him under control.”

“He _is_ under control.” Stiles replied sharply, catching his boyfriend’s eye and nodding confidently. “We have this, Malia.”

“You’re his boyfriend.” She sighed. “Of course you think you have it, but I’m telling you that without Scott there to keep Liam calm, we’ll be scraping bits of you off the desert and bringing you back in a shoebox!”

“Hey, I’m right here!” Liam turned in his seat, gripping the wolf cub in his fist. “I can hear you, and I told you that I’m not hurting Stiles.”

“What about everyone else?”

The werewolf turned back and slumped in his seat, mumbling under his breath.

“I didn’t catch that.” Malia looked to Stiles for support, but he was busily checking for traffic before he made the turn off. She glared at the back of Liam’s head. “What did you say?”

“Um, everyone else is fair game?”

“Liam!” Stiles groaned at him. “Remember what we talked about: you stay calm and in control and we find Scott without another incident. And everyone is equally valuable, remember?”

“Yeah, of course, Stiles.” Liam stared out the window moodily. “I remember.”

“Uh huh.” The teenager wasn’t convinced as he swung into the yard of the Argent Arms International lot, one of the nearby warehouse doors was open and Stiles drove the Jeep inside, just as a van and SUV rolled up behind him. “Hmm.”

 

Liam got out and glared at Malia sullenly as she looked pointedly at the door. “Fine.” He reluctantly let her get past him and walked around the front of the Jeep to stand next to Stiles. Braeden got out of the van and approached them, the werewolf feeling nervousness building in his stomach as her gaze swept across him. Liam quickly slipped his hand into Stiles’, moving closer to him so no one else would be able to see.

"How'd you get a prison transport van?"

"I'm a US Marshall."

"Yeah, I just thought that was a cover?" Stiles frowned at her pityingly gaze.

"Are we really bringing him?" Derek pointed at Liam, as he and Peter got out of the SUV, arms crossed. “Seriously, Stiles?”

“What, and you think _he’s_ a good idea?” Stiles shot back at him, nodding at Peter, and stood protectively in front of his boyfriend. _Shit, calm down, pup, please._ He could feel Liam tensing up beside him, his grip becoming firmer, but the werewolf glanced at him and nodded.

"I'm ok."

"We're bringing everyone we can." Peter snarked at Stiles. "And considering Scott and Kira were taken on the night before a full moon, we should probably get going."

Liam tightened his grip again, loosening it when Stiles flinched. _Crap! Sorry, claws…_

"What's that supposed to mean?" Malia asked.

“A month ago, Derek lost his powers because of whatever Kate did to him in that church.” Peter explained, moving forward to lean against the hood of the SUV. “She regressed him back to a time when he didn’t know her; what if Kate does the same to Scott; but brings him back before he was bitten?”

“What good would that do?” Stiles frowned. 

“She drained my power.” Derek said, glancing at his uncle. “Do you really think she could do the same to Scott?”

“Well, we both know that no werewolf other than the direct Beta of a True Alpha can steal those powers.” He shrugged. “If she takes his powers like she took yours, maybe she can transfer them to herself, making her even more powerful.”

“Well, shit.” Stiles muttered, his expression of horror changing into one of determination. “And we’ve already wasted a day.”

“So, let’s go.” Peter made a sweeping motion towards the vehicles, but Stiles shook his head.

“We’re missing Lydia.”

“Where is she?”

“At the school.” Malia answered for him, hefting Kira’s katana. “We already have this, but she suggested that we’d get a stronger scent from a jacket or something from her locker.”

“I’ll give her a call.” Stiles muttered, pulling away from Liam. “She should have been here by now.”

 

“Hey Lydia, it’s me, again, um, just wondering where you are? Uh, we’re getting a bit worried down here, and we really need to get going, so, please call me, soon.” Stiles glanced up at Liam and shrugged, turning around as he paced anxiously on the pavement outside. “I’ll give her another call, maybe she’s in the library or something.”

Liam nodded silently, sitting on the hood of Stiles’ Jeep, watching him as the call went to voicemail. He rubbed at the scuffed blue paint with the edge of his hoodie, feeling self-conscious in front of the others. _They all think I can’t control the shift, that I’m dangerous, gonna hurt them or Stiles, but I have this under control, I’m gonna, I’m gonna be fine and they’ll all see that, and…what about the Berserkers though? I have to protect Stiles, but what if it comes to a choice between protecting him and helping to save Scott? It should be easy, but Brett said-_ Liam stopped following that trail of thought when his shoes suddenly got uncomfortably tight, the awkwardness of the toe claws flicking out. _Crap! Not again, I’ve already ruined three pairs, oh man!_ He pulled out Stiles’ present again, tilting the crystal wolf cub so the rainbow colors dappled his hand and Liam smiled slightly, already feeling calmer. He slid off the hood and walked around to the back of Stiles’ Jeep, pulling open the door to get his gear bag from lacrosse the night before. 

“Still no answer!” Stiles called out as he walked back inside. “Liam?”

“Here.” The werewolf ran back towards him. “Had to change my shoes, since we’re gonna be in the desert and all.”

“Oh, err, good idea, yeah.” He nodded, turning to the others. “Um, I think Lydia’s in trouble, she should have found the jacket and got to us by now.”

“She has her own car,” Braeden pointed out. “She can catch up, we’ll call her from the road, but we really need to get going.”

“I don’t know.”

"Fine, you stay, you find her, we're going to go on without ya!" Peter said, making another grand gesture towards the SUV and van. “Let’s move it!”

Stiles folded his arms and glared in response.

"I could call Mason, he has a study group at school, he can look for her." Liam offered as Stiles nodded slowly. "He already knows about the Berserkers and everything, it wouldn't be a big deal."

"Alright, fine." His boyfriend agreed, gripping Liam's shoulders as they prepared to leave. "Hey," He whispered in the werewolf's ear. "You remember what I said, right?"

"I'll stay beside you, Stiles." Liam nodded, leaning into his grasp. “Don’t worry, I’m gonna call Mason now.”

Stiles glanced at Braeden as Liam moved away to make the call. “I know, I know, we’ll be leaving in five minutes, ok?”

“You’re sure you can handle him?” She nodded after the Beta. “It’ll be you, him, Derek, and me in that van, if something goes wrong-”

“It won’t.” Stiles cut across her. “I’m his anchor, but more than that, we’ve been in some serious shit these last four weeks; he’ll be under stress, we’ll all be under it, but Liam can handle the shift.”

“This is the full moon, Stiles. Don’t under-estimate that.” Braeden muttered to him, walking away as Liam returned.

“Hey, what did Mason say?”

“Her car is there,” Liam shrugged. “But there’s no sign of Lydia herself. Mason said he’d look around some more and then call us back.”

“Damnit!” Stiles shook his head, glaring at Peter as he looked expectantly at them. “Fine, fine, we need to go. I’m not letting Scott and Kira stay with Kate for another minute longer than necessary. C’mon, let’s hit the road.”

 

“A word, before we all go on this merry adventure!” Peter called out, standing between the SUV and the van. “Kate Argent will be easy to take down in comparison to the Berserkers she has with her, so when we’re fighting them, it’s useful to remember that even though they have human-colored eyes, there’s no humanity left behind the mask. They are just savage monsters that do her bidding, nothing more.”

Stiles smiled reassuringly at Liam as the werewolf glanced at him. The Beta whined and edged towards him, forgetting that both Malia and Peter could hear him.

"Ah, this little one is terrified of them, aren't you?" Peter said, smirking slightly as Liam took Stiles’ hand. "Don't worry, my friend, it is that fear that will keep you alive. A reminder to everyone: you don't fight Berserkers to survive, you fight to kill."

“Well, that was a pep talk for the ages.” Stiles commented dryly as Malia and Peter got into the SUV. He pulled Liam to one side, nodding for Braden and Derek to go ahead of him. “Hey, listen to me.”

“Yes, Stiles?”

“I love you.” He kissed Liam suddenly, lips buzzing pleasantly as the werewolf responded eagerly. They broke apart, breathless and panting when Derek stuck his head around the open doors and shouted their names. “Coming, just give us a minute!”

“It’s alright, Stiles.” Liam grinned, “I got this under control. You’ll see!”

“Well, ok, let’s go.” Stiles gave him another quick kiss and then followed the werewolf to the back of the van, hopping inside, and sliding along the metal bench until he was near the mesh grille behind the driver’s seat. “Come on, Liam, get in.” 

“Ok.” The Beta dutifully climbed into the van, Derek joining them as Braeden shut the doors. Liam sat next to Stiles and looked around the interior nervously. “Not much space.”

“You’ll be fine, you’ll be-” He broke off as Derek attached thick chains to the floor hooks on either side of Liam’s position. “What are you doing?”

“It’s not like there are seatbelts back here, Stiles.” 

“Yeah, but-”

“It’s ok.” Liam nodded, holding out his wrists to Derek. “I’ve got you right beside me, Stiles, what could possibly go wrong?”

“Ugh, don’t say that!”


	65. Pressure Points

They rolled out across the desert, heading towards the border, dusty roads and bumpy tracks, racing across the sands as they tried to make up for lost time. Peter and Malia led the way in the SUV, and Stiles grimaced as the two-wheel drive of the prison transport hit every pothole and hillock, sending him bouncing up and down, sliding around on the bench. Derek was keeping both of his eyes on Liam, as though expecting the young Beta to shift at any moment. But his boyfriend was leaning against him and Stiles could feel the tension in Liam’s muscles, the way his gaze kept jumping around the inside of the van. It was unusually quiet, but Stiles couldn’t think of anything to say, other than the same things they had been talking about earlier; Scott and Kira, how to handle the Berserkers, the full moon. As if repeating the same topics over and over was going to bring him any new insights, they just had to get there, and get there soon. 

Liam cleared his throat, glancing up at Stiles, waiting until the teenager was looking at him. “I need-”

“I brought something to help you,” Derek cut across him, taking out a round, circular disk and offered it to Liam. “It’ll help you during the shift.”

“Huh?” Liam sat upright, reluctantly pulling away from Stiles’ warmth. He eyed the “former” werewolf warily, but took it from him and frowned, tracing his fingers across pattern carved into the surface. “What is it?”

“This artefact has been in my family for generations, passed down from werewolf to werewolf.” Derek explained, his voice low. Stiles frowned at him, but let the older man continue. “It’s a very powerful supernatural talisman that we use to teach Betas control during the full moon.” 

_Uh huh…_ Stiles resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and his frown deepened instead. _Why don’t you just tell him it’s a magical trinket that he has to equip before he levels-up?!_

“…and every werewolf Beta, bitten or born, has used this talisman to help master the shift at the height of troublesome full moons.” Derek finished, tapping the center of the triskelion pattern engraved on the wood. “Understand?”

“Uh, yeah, yeah, I do.” Liam replied reverently, holding the disk carefully. He glanced at Stiles. “What do you think? Is it really that powerful?”

“I…” The teenager met Derek’s eyes, and a silent battle of scepticism erupted between them until eventually Stiles gritted his teeth and nodded. "Yes, ah," He cleared his throat. "Um, very powerful." 

“Ok, so, here’s what you need to do,” Derek began, but Liam shook his head vigorously. “What is it?”

“Um, Stiles?” Liam looked at him, cheeks burning. "I have to pee."

"What? Why didn't you go before we left?" Stiles sighed, ignoring the glare coming from the other side of the van. "I asked you specifically if you needed to go!"

"Everyone was looking at me, I didn't wanna hold things up."

“And what do you think you’ll be doing now?” Derek said, shaking his head. “We can’t stop, you’re just going to have to hold it.”

“Are you crazy?” Stiles stared at him, before banging on the mesh partition between them and Braeden. “Hey, um, can we have a pitstop for five minutes. Bathroom break?”

“Seriously?”

“Well, look at it this way,” He grinned as the thought came to him. “We can either continue into the desert on a full moon with a werewolf who has a full bladder sloshing around inside him and a less than perfect grip on the shift, or we can pull over. One of those things is going to end up with a mess on the floor and the doors torn off. We keep going, and you better hope it’s werewolf piss!”

“Ugh, fine.” She sighed and indicated to the right.

“Good.” Stiles grinned and turned back to find them staring at him. “What?”

“You think I’d tear the doors off?” Liam looked hurt, “Just to go to the bathroom?”

“When Scott first turned, he peed on every tree he could find.”

“Huh?” Derek turned to him, his turn to be confused. “Why on earth did he do that?”

“Oh, I might have _accidentally_ given him some incorrect information about marking his territory!” Stiles struggled to hold back his laughter, grinning widely as Derek sighed and Liam stared at him. “C’mon, let’s go find a cactus bush or something for you to pee behind.”

 

“Do I really need those?” Liam complained when Derek held the handcuffs out to him again. He didn’t resist as the former werewolf locked them around his wrists and picked up the talisman with a sigh. “I have this under control, especially with Stiles beside me.” 

“Thanks.” Stiles grinned at him, leaning back against the metal as they started driving again. Soon the rocking motion of the van made his eyes droop and he slid further towards Liam, eventually letting his head rest on the werewolf’s shoulder as he drifted between sleep and wakefulness.

“Is he asleep?” Derek asked Liam quietly, waiting until the Beta nodded. “Look, I think it’s great that you discovered your anchor so early and he’s your boyfriend, so he’ll be with you a lot. But you need to face facts, Liam, Stiles won’t always be there for you. You need to be able to fully control the shift without him beside you.”

“I know.” He replied defensively, glancing at Stiles. “But he’s here now, I’m controlling it _now._ ”

“Night is falling, the moon is about to rise,” Derek warned him. “We’re about to put your level of control to the test.”

 

Stiles’ eyes snapped open, the back of the van dark, only the light from the moon outside providing spears of illumination across their faces. The moon… _Huh, Liam seems fine, maybe I can catch a few more zzz’s before we get to the church._ He was about to drop off again when Liam released a grunt, his voice deeper than normal. “Uh, pup?”

“I got it.” Liam growled, his voice modulating between the lighter tone Stiles was used to and the more animalistic snarl of a werewolf. The Beta's claws were out, gripping the talisman tight. “I got it!” 

“I know you do.” Stiles replied, keeping his own tone calm and even. “It’s just the first pull of the moon, you’ll get used to it in a moment, ok? C’mere, closer, that’s it.” He carefully placed his arm in Liam’s lap, reaching out to touch the clawed hand that wasn’t grasping the talisman tight. “That’s it, there we go, keep a grip on my hand, err, ok, my forearm is fine.” Stiles glanced at Derek, concern etched into his face, before turning back to Liam. “It’s fine, everything is cool.” He grunted as they hit a bump, “We got this.”

“Uh huh.” Derek muttered, shaking his head slightly at Stiles when Liam looked down, his grip tightening around the talisman. 

Stiles glanced at his boyfriend, nodding as Liam managed to retain most of his human features, though his skin was covered in a sheen of sweat and his eyes flicked to yellow every few seconds. “Easy, Liam.”

“I know what I’m doing.” He whispered in reply. 

“Are you sure?” Derek was staring at them, and Stiles looked down as they turned a long corner, the moonlight passing across his face to pool at waist height. Liam’s hand was gripping his arm slightly tighter than comfortable and his stomach clenched uneasily when he saw dark claws resting on the surface on his skin. “One slip, one moment of lost control and you’ll cut Stiles’ veins open.”

“That’s the point.” Liam muttered, feeling his boyfriend’s pulse speed up. “I can’t slip, or I’ll hurt Stiles.”

“Great.” The older teenager muttered.

“You trust me, right?”

“Duh, of course!” He smiled as Liam turned his puppy eyes on, the effect spoilt by the fact they were now glowing bright yellow. “Focus, Liam, focus on me, and not losing control. I do _not_ want my earlier prediction to come true; with the whole blood on the floor and all.”

“I got it.” Liam nodded, grunting as the urge to shift rippled almost uncontrollably across his torso. “I…”

“What did you say this talisman was for again, Derek?” Stiles asked quickly.

“It’s a focus for control. We use a mantra to help you focus.”

“What is it?” Liam asked as he stared at the triskelion, gritting his teeth to resist clenching his other hand. _It’s still on Stiles’ wrist, I can’t hurt him, I won’t!_ “Tell me!”

"Alpha, Beta, Omega." Stiles whispered, seeing the edges of the carved tails glinting in the moonlight. “The three parts of the triskelion, right?”

“That’s right.” Derek nodded, pointing to it, Liam’s eyes focusing on the symbol. “Now say the words and keep looking at it.”

"Alpha, Beta, Omega."

“Louder, slower.”

"Alpha. Beta. Omega."

“That’s it, keep going.”

"Alpha. Beta. Omega." Liam repeated, rolling his neck muscles and grimacing as a fresh wave of itchiness arced across his back. “Ah! I can’t-”

“You have to!” Stiles cried out, tilting his head towards him, his own eyes meeting the yellow orbs. “Concentrate. Say it with me: Alpha. Beta. Omega.”

"Alpha. Beta. Omega." He snarled, fangs emerging from his gums. “I can’t…I don’t…”

“Liam!”

“Stiles, get away from him!” Derek called out, reaching out, but he pulled back as the werewolf growled protectively at him. “Shit!”

“He hasn’t hurt me yet.” Stiles shook his head at Derek, before tapping his boyfriend’s cheek to get his attention. “Hey, look at me, we’re gonna try something else, ok?”

“I…rawrr!”

“Say this with me, the Sun, the Moon, the Truth.” He dropped his hand to grab the werewolf’s arms, pressing his claws against the soft flesh of his forearm. “You _will_ control this, Liam, or you’re gonna slice into my arm. Now say it!”

“The Sun, the Moon, the Truth.”

“Louder!”

“The Sun. The Moon. The Truth.”

“Like you mean it, werewolf!”

“The Sun! The Moon! The Truth!”

“Again!”

“The Sun! The Moon! The Truth!”

Stiles grinned as Liam repeated the phrase over and over, his eyes fading back to their natural shade, and his fangs retracting. Finally, his claws disappeared, and Stiles was able to reclaim his forearm, only a few bloody smears evidence of the Beta’s near loss of control. “Good work, pup, I knew you could do it!”

“Yeah!” Liam nodded excitedly, missing Derek’s rattled expression. He flicked out his claws and then retracted them, glancing at his boyfriend. “Pretty cool, huh? Now I can really help you!”


	66. Blood on the Rocks

Stiles peered out of the rear windows as the van began to slow, the brake lights illuminating the smooth plaster walls of a town. “Are we nearly there?” He called out, turning back to the front of the van. “Braeden?”

“I can see the church ahead; Peter and Malia have stopped nearby.” She replied, gesturing towards the tumbled down stone walls along the front of the abandoned church. The moon was shining brightly between the two bell towers, and the town seemed to be deserted. “I’ll let you guys out in a minute.”

“Ok.” Stiles nodded, gesturing for Derek to toss him the handcuff keys. He looked at Liam, the werewolf’s eyes glowing softly in the dim light. “Are you ok? You ready?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Ok, just remember the plan; we get in, we find Scott and Kira, and we get out.” Stiles finished unlocking the cuffs and bent down to get the ones attached to the floor.

“What about Kate Argent?”

“Oh, I imagine Peter has a plan for her.” He muttered darkly, glancing at Derek’s back as the man climbed out beside Braeden, their guns at the ready. “But that’s not why we’re here. I would’ve gone without him if I could, but those Berserkers are the real threat, and we need his help to even the odds.”

“I’ll keep you safe, Stiles, just like you told your Dad I would.” Liam clutched his hand when the final chains were released. “We’re getting them both back.”

“Yeah.” Stiles flashed a smile at him, and gestured to the open doors. “Let’s go.” The air was warm and heavy, the clear sky above them speckled with stars as Stiles craned his neck upwards, lost in the splendour of the cosmos. Liam tugged on his sleeve and the teenager smiled reassuringly at him. “I’m here.”

“Good.” Liam grinned and hugged him from behind.

“Hey, you two!” Peter called out to them as he walked towards the front of the church, pausing to glare back at the group. “Pull it together, this isn't a high school trip to the county fair!" 

“We know.” Stiles bristled, but he looked around more cautiously, taking in the low fog that gathered around some of the ruined buildings Liam nodded at him and flicked out his claws with a confident smirk. “We’re ready.”

“Alright, this is what we’re-” Peter’s words were interrupted by a sudden loud roar and the sound of bones clacking in the wind. A Berserker charged out of the temple ruins and grabbed Derek before they could react. “Scatter!”

“Argh!” Derek cried out as the monster tossed him to one side, spikes digging into his chest as his handgun fell out of his grip. The Berserker’s large skull swept left and right, fixing on Stiles.

“Shit! Run!” He cried out, backing away from the slowly moving monster, eying the large bladed claws as they rose and prepared to strike. Liam rolled forward, springing up in front of him, the werewolf’s own claws looking pathetically tiny in comparison to the Berserker’s. “Liam, come back!”

“No, I got you, Stiles!” The Beta replied, ducking the first swipe, feeling the air ripple over his head as the claws ripped through it. “Get into the van!”

“Shit!” Stiles muttered, diving into the relative safety of the van. _Oh, man, why didn’t I defy my Dad and bring a gun too!_ He reached forward to drag Liam into the compartment when the Berserker smashed his fist into the Beta’s chest and sent him sprawling, the vicious follow-up slash, scoring a deep furrow into the metal of the prison van. “I have you, you’re ok!”

“Hey!” Braeden’s shout pulled the Berserker’s attention away from them, and she brought up her shotgun, unloading on the Berserker, driving it back. She continued to fire, until it roared defiantly and disappeared into the mist. “Shit. It’s gone.”

Malia moved around to help Liam and Stiles get out of the van, nodding at them, as Derek let out a low groan. They hurried over to where Braeden was kneeling next to him, his t-shirt wet with blood, flecks of crimson on his lips.

“Damn.” Stiles whispered. “What happened?”

“Stabbed, chest, collapsed lung, at least.” Derek panted, letting Braeden examine him.

Liam glanced around, but the Berserker seemed to have been driven off, for now. He slipped his hand into Stiles’ and squeezed, smelling his boyfriend’s shock. They were all surprised, even Peter, and Liam glanced at Stiles. “What do we do?”

“You need to keep going, ah.” Derek answered for him, forcing himself into a sitting position. “I’ll keep watch, haha, from out here.” He forced a grin onto his face and gestured at the church. “Go! Find Scott!”

“Yeah,” Stiles whispered, looking at Braeden as she reloaded her shotgun. 

“I’ll wait here, see if I can stabilize him.”

“Got it, let’s go!” Stiles called out, seeing Peter nod determinedly. He followed Malia and the werewolf as they made their way into the church, Liam acting as rear-guard. 

 

The interior of the church was ruined; filled with cobwebs and broken furniture, and though the moon granted some light, Stiles kept stubbing his toes or tripping over things. “Fine!” He grumbled, pulling out the small flashlight he had brought with him, glancing back in time to see Liam’s smirk before the werewolf tried to hide it. “It’s alright for you guys, you can all see in the dark!”

“Shush! Quiet!” Peter called out, picking his way over some trashed pews to look down into a long tunnel. “This must be it. We should hurry, who knows where Kate and the other Berserkers are.”

“Right,” Stiles nodded, pushing ahead of Malia. “Let’s find them and get out of here!” The tunnels were dark and narrow, though unusually shaped, as though deliberately designed to just fit the width of a Berserker. The walls were covered in more cobwebs, with roots digging through the rough stone and moss hanging in thick curtains as they began to move with increasing speed, racing through the long, winding tunnels, finally coming to an abrupt stop when Peter skidded to a halt, holding up his hand. “Gah!” Stiles muttered, colliding with the werewolf’s back. “What the hell?”

“We’re going too fast, making too much noise.” He turned to them, blue eyes glowing in the gloom. “We need to figure out how to save Kira and Scott without drawing attention from the Berserkers.”

“I thought we had a plan?” 

“Smash and grab isn’t a plan, Stiles.” 

“Yeah, I know, but-” He stopped speaking as his phone suddenly rang out. Stiles stared at it. “How am I even getting reception down here?”

“Who is it?” Liam peered around Malia to look at him. “Is it Mason?”

“I wish.” The teenager grimaced, and answered. “Hey Dad…”

“Stiles! Where the hell are you?”

“Um, funny story,” Stiles glanced back as Liam pushed past Malia and followed him dutifully as he stepped away from Peter. “So, um, any leads from your Mexican contacts?”

“You’re there aren’t you?” The Sheriff sounded furious and Liam felt his control beginning to slip, protective nature triggered. “Stiles, when I get my hands on you…”

“Um, two seconds, Dad.” The teenager pulled the phone away from his ear, missing his father’s growled threats, and instead reached out to pull Liam closer to him. “It’s alright, you have this, remember?”

“Yeah, but-”

“No, you have it. Say the words with me, Liam.” Stiles insisted, leaning towards his boyfriend until their foreheads were pressing against each other. “The Sun, the Moon, the Truth.”

“The Sun, the Moon, the Truth.” Liam whispered back, feeling his fangs recede.

“Ok.” Stiles put the phone back to his ear.

“…and then, after you’re grounded for an eternity, I’m gonna-”

“Dad, I’m here,” Stiles cut across him, looking around at the tunnel walls. “You can be angry with me after I get back with Scott and Kira, _if_ we get back.”

“It’s that bad?” The Sheriff’s voice softened, worry creeping back into it. 

“Worse, Derek already went down, I’m in a tunnel under a ruined church, and we still haven’t found Scott. I have Liam, Malia, and Peter with me, so we should be fine.”

“Ok,” There was a hiss of static as the man sighed. “What can I do from here?”

“Lydia isn’t with us, we asked Mason to find her, he said her car was at the school, but that was hours ago. We haven’t heard from either of them since.”

“Ok, I’ll take a few units and we’ll search the school and surrounding area.” 

“Dad, if there’s a Berserker left, you’re going to need more than the standard issue handgun.” Stiles warned him. “We just watched Braeden unload a full shotgun into one and it only seemed to make it angrier.”

“I think I know just the thing to do the job, Stiles.” The Sheriff reassured him. “Ok, call me the moment you’re safe and it’s all over.”

“I will, Dad.” Stiles whispered as his father hung up. He glanced back at the others. “At least Mason and Lydia will have someone searching for them.”

“Well, shall we resume?” Peter looked expectantly, his next words lost when Malia pushed him to the ground.

“Look out!” A spiked gauntlet ripped a deep furrow into the wall over their heads, dust and chalky stone falling around them in great obscuring clouds. A roar echoed down the passageway from behind them, as Peter grabbed Malia’s hand and pulled her forward.

“Run!” Stiles cried out, staring at the emerging Berserker, covered in spiked armor, walking inevitably towards them. Liam grabbed his hand and pulled him along the narrow tunnel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was meant to have gone up last night, sorry about that. But I have the rest of the Kate Argent arc planned out now, so the remaining chapters should go up a lot faster!


	67. It's All in the Eyes

Stiles was shoved forward as Liam pushed him out of the way of the Berserker’s attack, the spiked gauntlet crashing through the wall. “Hurry up!” He called out to Malia and Peter as they continued to run blindly along the passageways under the church. Stiles gasped, clutching his chest as he breathed in too much dust, but Liam was by his side, nodding determined at Malia’s back. “Alright! I, I got it.”

“Good.” The werewolf grunted, pushing his boyfriend forward again. “Keep running, I’ll hold him off!”

“What?” He turned to see Liam preparing to punch a wooden support holding up the tunnel roof. “Liam, get back here!” Stiles groaned under his breath, seeing the Berserker barrelling along the passageway. He dived towards Liam, just as the werewolf’s fist ripped right through the beam. Stiles grabbed him around the waist and leapt back, barely pulling them clear as rocks and wood crashed down into the space where they had been standing moments earlier. “You idiot!”

“Stiles?”

“You could’ve gotten yourself killed!”

“But I-”

“Fuck, Liam!” Stiles glared furiously at him, before pulling the surprised werewolf into a fierce hug. “The plan is for _everyone_ to get out of here! That means no heroics from you, even if you can control the shift better now.”

“Ok, ok.” Liam mumbled into his boyfriend’s shoulder, Stiles not even letting him go to berate him. “I can hear the Berserker; he must be trying to dig his way through.”

“Let’s find the others.” Stiles nodded, gripping Liam tighter for a moment before releasing him reluctantly. “I meant what I said about you staying beside me too, remember?”

“Yes, Stiles.” Liam replied in a small voice, meekly slipping his hand into Stiles’. His boyfriend nodded sternly, and together they walked rapidly to where Malia and Peter were waiting for them. 

“What the hell was that sound?” The older werewolf demanded as soon as they reached the hollowed-out cave where he was standing with Malia. “Is the Berserker dead?”

“No. Liam heard scratching noises; he must be trying to dig his way through.”

“Oh, good, err, I mean, good that you bought us some time.”

“Yeah.” Stiles frowned at him. _He almost sounded disappointed that the Berserker might be dead. Huh…_ The teenager shook the thoughts from his mind and looked at the branching tunnels in front of them. “Malia, have you got Kira’s scent yet?”

“She came through here.” Malia nodded slowly, “But I can’t tell which way she went after that.”

“We’re gonna have to split up, aren’t we?” Liam tried to look down one of the passages, freezing when he heard a loud rumble of shifting rock behind them. “Err…”

“I heard it too.” Stiles groaned. “Which means our Berserker friend is loose again. Peter; you and Malia take the right passage, me and Liam will go left. Hopefully, they’ll meet up, but, um, give me the sword.”

“Why?” She frowned at him as Liam looked over his shoulder nervously. “You can’t use it.”

“Of course I can use it!” Stiles gestured wildly. “Stick ‘em with the pointy end! Use the handle as a club! Easy!”

“Err…”

“Look, I don’t have my bat with me, and my Dad wouldn’t give me a gun.” There was an angry roar from behind them. “Please, Malia!”

“Fine, you better find Kira first!” She threw him the sword and followed Peter’s frantic waving, the two of them disappearing down the tunnel. 

Stiles nodded and quickly tied the scabbard to his belt with a clumsy knot. He pushed Liam in front of him. “You have the glowy eyes, go first.”

“Ok, just don’t stab yourself.” Liam looked at him warily, but began to move down the other tunnel, one hand held out behind him, still connected to Stiles. “Be careful, loose rocks ahead.”

 

All too soon they were running again, hurrying along at a sprint as the Berserker chased after them through the twisting passageway, the monster seeming to have decided to hunt them instead. Stiles grunted as he collided with the wall again, Liam dragging him forward frantically, until the werewolf stopped suddenly. “Wait! There’s a drop ahead; maybe we can bait him into falling?”

“Ok, but do it fast, my bruises are going to have bruises after all the things I’ve banged into.” Stiles muttered, using the sword to prop himself up. Liam motioned at him to be quiet, a strange light was filtering through the tunnel ahead. “What is it?”

“I don’t-” The rest of his response was cut off as the Berserker emerged from the twist behind them with terrifying silence, broken by the clacking of the bones in its armor when it struck the werewolf. Liam was tossed to one side and collided heavily with the rock face, blood running down his cheek from a deep gash at his hairline.

“Liam!” Stiles cried out, bringing up the sword in front of him. “Liam?!” His boyfriend rolled over, trying to get to his feet, but he was too slow. The Berserker charged forward, knocking the sword from Stiles’ hands effortlessly. “Shit!” He stumbled backwards and fell at the edge of the chasm, wincing as his ass hit the hard stone. 

“Stiles…” Liam groaned, trying to stand, wiping blood from his eyes. “Stiles…where, ugh.”

“Ah!” The teenager cried out in alarm when the Berserker lifted him up, the bone talons shredding the front of his t-shirt until the fabric bunched and Stiles was pulled up to eye level, looking into the Berserker’s dark brown eyes. “Um, hi.” His feet were dragging on the ground and Stiles smirked, unable to resist quipping. “Aren’t you a little short for a Berserker?” 

The monster cocked its head at him, and seemed to be about to reply when a crackle of electricity arced across the passageway. 

“Oof!” Stiles groaned when the Berserker dropped him and turned to face the new threat, growling menacingly. He looked around for the sword, finding a pair of shoes instead, and looked up. “Kira!”

“Get away from him, Scott!”

“Scott?” Stiles turned his head quickly to gaze at the Berserker, watching as Liam punched through the bone armor on his arm. “Wait!”

“Rawrr!” The Beta snarled and ran back the way they had come, prompting Berserker Scott to chase him. “I got this, Stiles!”

“Oh my god!” Stiles groaned, looking at Kira’s dishevelled form. “That was Scott?”

“Kate Argent turned him into a Berserker somehow, I don’t understand, but he doesn’t recognize any of us.” She helped him up. “Stiles, did Liam not hear me?”

“He hit the rock pretty hard, probably hurt his head, made him dizzy.” Stiles shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe he thought he was protecting me, even though I told him to _stay beside me!_ ”

“We better go after them, is anyone else with you?”

“Malia and Peter.” He started to walk back through the tunnel, using the brightness of his phone’s screen to light the way. “Braeden and Derek are on the surface, but another Berserker wounded him and she’s staying there with her shotgun, just in case it decides to swing back around to finish the job.” Stiles stopped moving and held up his hand. “I hear fighting.”

 

Liam rolled forward, dodging the Berserker’s brutal downward strike as it cracked the floor of the wide chamber he had led the monster into. Malia and Peter helped him upright, and the three of them charged into the fray, ducking the monster’s attacks, and responding with their own. Liam grunted as the Berserker’s clawed backhand caught him in the chest, sending him flying into one of the chamber’s pillars. He spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling his accelerated healing kicking in. The young werewolf grimaced as Peter delivered a ruthless uppercut that sent the Berserker staggering backwards, Malia following up with an equally devastating punch to its chest-plate, the bone armor cracking under the assault. He jumped up and charged forward, adding his attack to theirs, and used both his fists to drive against the hard abs of the monster’s unprotected lower stomach. “Rawr!” Liam snarled and helped Peter by grabbing the Berserker’s other bicep, both of them able to shove it backwards against another pillar.

“Hurry, Malia!” Peter cried out, nodding furiously at the nearby stone slab, a Berserker’s dagger lying on the surface. “We can’t hold him for long!”

“Wait!” 

Liam glanced around as Stiles skidded through the entrance, but his boyfriend’s words were lost to him when the Berserker tried to break free.

“Liam!” Stiles shouted at him. “That’s Scott! Liam!!”

“There’s no time!” Kira cried, dashing forward in a blur, her sword flashing and cutting the dagger in half. Malia dropped it and stepped back, staring at her. “Kate turned Scott into a Berserker! That Berserker!”

“What?” Liam let go of Berserker Scott’s bicep and looked at the skull mask. “But-”

“Rawr!” The Berserker roared and tossed him to one side, throwing Peter head-over-heels across the altar. Malia attempted to intercept him as Scott leapt towards Stiles, succeeding only in getting smashed backwards herself, a deep cut along her face from his bone talons.

“Oh shit!” Stiles managed to duck the first swipe, bringing his arms up to protect his face, but Berserker Scott punched lower instead, his attack forcing the air from the teenager’s lungs. “Argh!” Stiles collapsed on the floor, coughing feebly, his chest on fire. _Nothing broken though, I don’t think. Ouch…_

"Stiles!" Liam cried out, scrambling over to crouch protectively in front of his boyfriend. “Leave him alone!”

“Liam…” Stiles grunted, barely able to speak. “Don’t…”

“I’m not afraid of you!” The Beta roared, eyes flashing a bright yellow as he pulled on the anger that he normally kept bottled up, and he charged forward, running right into Scott’s outstretched hand. “Crap!” He squeaked, the Berserker crushing his windpipe effortlessly, bringing the young werewolf up to head height. “Scott! Scott…it’s me!”

 

Stiles looked up through watering eyes, the pain flaring across his chest had turned white hot and was unbearable, pushing out almost every other thought from his mind. Kira had tried to free Liam, but Scott batted her away with ease, the Kitsune screaming as she crashed through the damaged pillar, masonry falling on her leg. She was trapped, but her sword had fallen close to Stiles. _Always the hero, huh?_ Stiles gritted his teeth and rolled onto his stomach, one hand clutched against his sternum, the other reaching for the grip of the sword. He could see Scott’s grip tightening, Liam’s legs kicking ineffectually at the Berserker’s armored loins. _But there’s no armor on those legs._ Stiles grunted, and hefted the sword, using the last remnants of his strength to thrust the sword forward, burying it in Scott’s thigh. "Sorry dude, but you'll heal!" 

Howling in pain, Scott dropped Liam, and staggered backwards. The younger werewolf lashed outwards with both feet, forcing the Berserker to fall over. He dashed across to Stiles, but his boyfriend waved him away.

“We need to get that skull off him.” Stiles managed, “It’s the only armor they all have in common.” He reached forward and twisted the sword savagely, prompting Scott to scream again, before pulling it out. Liam and Malia each grabbed one side of the skull, even as Peter leapt up, shouting out.

“No! Wait!”

A bright yellow light filled the chamber as they ripped the skull in half and Scott began to roar like a werewolf instead of a Berserker. Liam and Malia separated suddenly, sitting down hard as the skull shattered into a thousand fragments and Scott fell to his knees, blood red eyes staring at nothing.

Stiles used the sword to get to his feet, walking unsteadily over to Scott, the True Alpha shaking his head confusedly, looking around the room. “Sorry, Scott.” He whispered and smashed the pommel of the sword into his best friend’s temple. The werewolf fell over onto his face with a clatter of loose bones. Stiles released a heavy sigh as Liam and Malia stared at him. “The skull thing was a theory, I’m not sure if that actually-”

“You idiots!” Peter snarled at them, his face morphing into his full werewolf transformation. “All you had to do was just kill him, and finally, I would have the Alpha’s power! My rightful power!”

“Uh oh.” Stiles backed up as Liam got to his feet beside him. 

“But, hey, I should probably thank you, Stiles.” Peter kept coming closer to them, long claws pointing at the teenager. “I would have liked the fight, liked to show Scott McCall how a real werewolf claims his power.”

“Don’t worry, Peter!” Scott stood up, shaking off the effects of Stiles’ ill-timed blow. “I’ll give you the fight you want!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been extremely busy these last few days, but I'll try to get the next chapter out before Wednesday; the epic showdown between Scott and Peter!


	68. Showdown

Stiles grunted as he used the sword to pull himself to his feet, taking Liam’s outstretched hand to balance better. His vision was blurry, and he was only vaguely aware that Scott was standing protectively in front of them, Malia hunched over by Kira, trying to dig her legs out of the rubble. “Ah…” 

“Gotcha.” Liam pressed his palm against Stiles’ neck and siphoned the ache away, gasping as the black veins crinkled out from his hand into his arm. The werewolf bowed his head and stopped resisting the moon’s pull, using the extra power to push through the pain barrier.

“It’s alright, Liam, I’m ok.” Stiles staggered away from him, the tightness returning instantly to his chest. “Um, maybe I bruised my ribs or something. But that doesn’t really matter right now.” He nodded at Scott and Peter, the werewolves having been staring at each other in silence for the past minute. Stiles cleared his throat and Scott glanced back at him; his features pulled out of shape by the protruding brow and burning red eyes. “Um, guys, I don’t suppose there’s a way to talk this out, maybe agree to-”

“No.” Scott growled, his voice verging on monstrous. He pulled the effect back, sounding more like himself as he continued to speak. “Kate likes to talk when she’s making Berserkers. She told me about your plan; kill me, kill my friends, steal my power.”

“Not all your friends, Scott.” Peter paced in front of him, the True Alpha watching his movements carefully. He pointed with clawed fingers at Stiles and Liam. “Only the ones who resisted or tried to fight back, the others could walk free.”

“Up to Kate and her Berserkers, you mean?” Scott barked a short laugh. “She was going to kill you the moment you came out of the church. I don’t know if wanted my power for herself, or if she was just going to kill you as a matter of principle.”

“And what? You’re going to kill me yourself?”

“No.” Scott glanced at his best friend again, before looking back at the blue-eyed werewolf. “Stiles is right, surrender! It’s your only option.”

“Never!” Peter snarled. “You owe me, Scott McCall! You took my power, power that should have been mine all along. You’re an Alpha, but the worst sort; you don’t even kill when it’s justified! Rawrr!” The werewolf charged forward suddenly, and Liam grabbed Stiles around the middle, carrying his boyfriend behind the nearby pillar as Scott leant into the attack and braced himself against the floor.

“Hey!” Stiles cried out indignantly, and Liam placed him carefully on the floor. “Get down, c’mon, Liam!” He managed to wrap his arms around the front of the Beta’s chest, dragging him to the floor. “Stay here, you can’t fight him! Scott’s an Alpha, he’ll be fine.”

“Ok.” Liam grumbled, watching as Scott and Peter traded blows, both of them dancing out of range whenever the other swiped with their claws. Peter was the more aggressive and Scott seemed sluggish, slow even, parrying attacks, instead of returning them. _Come on, Scott! Fight back!_ He silently urged his Alpha, groaning when Scott was tossed to one side, crashing against the broken base of the pillar Kira had been trapped under. She and Malia had crawled away to safety at the back of the chamber, and Liam glanced at the sword that Stiles was still clutching protectively. “Give Kira the sword!”

“What? Oh, right.” Stiles nodded and hefted the blade, tossing it across the room. Peter snarled and moved forward with lightning reflexes to bat the sword out of the air and it rattled uselessly in the middle of the floor. “Fuck!”

Liam looked between Peter’s legs at where Scott was still lying, unmoving, the Alpha groaning quietly. _There’s no fight in him…maybe Kate did more than just turn him into a Berserker._ The younger werewolf leapt up suddenly, breaking Stiles’ hold on him. He could feel his boyfriend grabbing at him desperately to try and stop him, but the Beta wriggled out of his grasp. “I gotta help Scott!”

“Liam! No, no, no! Come back!” Stiles tried to stand up, but the room swam before his eyes and he forced himself to take a deep breath, his vision clearing just in time to see Peter grinning darkly and picking up a long pew. “Liam! Look out!”

The werewolf rolled to the floor, diving out of the way as the fragile wood smashed in front of him, splinters firing out in all directions. “Ahh!” He screamed, a large shard driven through his shoulder. “Fuck!”

“Liam, I’m coming!” Stiles dashed forward, ignoring Malia and Kira’s pleas for him to stay back. He slid down beside his boyfriend, grimacing at the blood that was soaking through Liam’s hoodie. “It’s ok, it’s ok, we just have to pull it-”

“Stiles!” Peter growled, claws reaching for him. “Doesn’t a human know not to interrupt a dog fight?!”

Stiles darted back, spreading himself across Liam protectively. “If I had my bat right now, you’d be in big trouble!”

“But you don’t, all you have is-”

“Me.” Scott was standing behind them, bare chest heaving after he stripped off the remnants of the bone armor, his claws pointing challengingly at Peter, red eyes boring through cobalt. “Step away from my friends!” He roared loudly, launching himself over Stiles and Liam to collide with Peter, sending the werewolf crashing backwards into the altar. Scott bounced up, Alpha powers adding strength to his punches that Peter lacked, the other werewolf being driven back with every blow, every swipe across his torso, every kick Scott delivered to his knees. The True Alpha snarled and picked Peter up by his neck, tossing him effortlessly against the stone walls. Scott wasted no time and leapt up onto the altar, running across it, using the extra height to give his knockout punch extra power. Peter sagged and went limp, out cold as Scott stood over him, sweat glinting in the silver moonlight that filtered down from the surface, every inch the True Alpha.

 

“ARGH!!” Liam screamed as he and Stiles pulled the large shard from his shoulder in one go. The wound was a jagged red hole for a few seconds, before his advanced healing kicked in and Liam’s skin smoothed over, nothing but blood to remind them of his injury. “Ow.” He moaned, bowing his head against Stiles’ chest, his boyfriend’s arms wrapped around his back.

“It’s ok, Liam, I gotcha.” Stiles nodded and rocked him gently until he felt another hand on his shoulder. Smiling, the teenager stood up, pulling Liam with him. “Scott!”

“Stiles, Liam.” The Alpha returned their grin and embraced his best friend. He released Stiles and walked over to kiss Kira and nod gratefully at Malia. “Thank you for realizing it was me, even if Stiles did knock me out.”

“Yeah, well, I had to be sure.” Stiles grinned at him, holding out the sword to Kira. “I’m just glad we got to you before Malia could _kill_ you!”

“I was fooled, if I knew it was Scott, I wouldn’t have done it.” She replied hotly. Malia gestured at her father. “What are we going to do with him? We could just leave him here?”

“And watch him rise as a Berserker?” Stiles shook his head as Liam snickered. “No, there must be a way we can sedate him or something; take him back to Beacon Hills to face…justice, or whatever the werewolf equivalent of a jury of his peers is.”

“Deaton will know.” Scott replied as he picked up his shredded vest with a sigh. “I don’t suppose you brought a change of clothes for me, did you?”

“Sorry, nope.” Stiles shook his head. “You could just wear the chest armor, I guess? It looks kinda badass…”

Liam had wandered away as the older teenagers talked about normal things, reaching out to place his hand on the smooth stone wall at the back of the ritual chamber. He frowned, looking up as dust fell from the roof above him, and concentrated on fading out Stiles’ voice, his eyes widening as the sound of gunfire echoed down from above. “Guys? I think we need to get outside!”

“…I’m just saying Scott, your abs look pretty killer in this light, so-” Stiles broke off when Liam grabbed his arm and pulled him around. “Huh? What is it, pup?”

“Guns! From outside!”

“Oh shit! I forgot about Derek and Braeden!”

“Kate and her other Berserkers are on the surface!” Scott nodded at him and the group quickly turned to the exit. He paused and glared at Peter’s still unconscious body. “We’ll be back for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be the last chapter for about a week while I go on a business trip out of the country. I’ll finish this arc with one or two more chapters and then start on the filler chapters to get us to season 5. I’ve finally decided how I’m going to handle that season with regards to Stiam and it’ll be a little different to how I’ve done season 4. But that won’t be happening until well after Christmas anyway. Thanks for reading!


	69. Bring Them Home

Stiles grimaced, shielding his eyes as they emerged from the ruined church, morning sunlight hitting his face. “Ah!”

“What is it?” Liam darted out ahead of him, looking around suspiciously, but the beams passed over his head and the werewolf glanced back at Stiles. “I don’t see anything.”

“It’s the sun, dummy.” He smirked at his boyfriend and nodded at the hunters gathered around Derek and Braeden. “Huh, looks like we’re late to the party.”

“I think the party has ended, Stiles.”

“Must have been all that time spent moving the rocks from the tunnel entrance.”

“Hey!” Liam glared at him, “I only collapsed that support beam because the Berserker was coming after us. I didn’t mean for the passageway behind it to cave in, or you know, crush Scott.” He added in a small voice, moving aside when the Alpha tapped his shoulder gently. 

“Chris Argent and the hunters are here, Scott.” Stiles glanced at his best friend, anxiety coming out in his voice. “The Calaveras. You remember what happened the last time we dealt with them?”

“Yeah, I remember, and the agreement too.” Scott looked at Liam, indecision twisting his expression. “Stay next to Stiles and Malia, Liam; this could get ugly.”

“I thought the fighting was over?” The younger werewolf glanced at his boyfriend as Stiles pulled him back to the wall. He gestured at the fallen Berserker nearby. “See?”

“This isn’t about Kate.” Stiles replied, carefully placing his hand across Liam’s chest, stopping him from moving forward. “Whose body I don’t see around anywhere…Maybe she got away.”

“Stiles?”

“Mmh?”

“We left Peter down in the tunnels.”

“Oh, shit!” Stiles threw his face into his hands and then gestured wildly at Derek and Braeden until they broke away from the hunters and came over.

“What?” Derek looked around them into the church and then glared at Stiles. “Where’s my uncle?”

“Below, in the tunnels.”

“That’s where Kate went.” Braeden grimaced and reloaded her gun. “I’ll go check it out.”

 

Scott was talking to Argent and the Calavera woman that Stiles seemed worried about, but Liam was looking in the opposite way, frowning at Deputy Parrish as the man stood next to a truck, handgun left on the hood, while he was cleaning and reloading an assault rifle. “Hmm.”

“What is it, pup?”

“Why did he come?” Liam nodded at the Deputy as Parrish’s head rose and he flashed them a quick smile. “Do you think your Dad sent him?”

“Probably not.” Stiles grinned suddenly and hugged Liam to his side. “Yes!”

“What?” The werewolf glanced at him, even as he gripped Stiles’ arm in return. “What’s going on?”

“Argent made a deal with the Calaveras: they’re not going to hurt Scott because he broke the old deal; making a new Beta, I mean.”

“Oh, well, that’s good.” Liam sighed contentedly as he rested in Stiles’ arms, leaning his head against his boyfriend’s chest. Tiredness pulled at him, the adrenaline that had been powering him all night was finally spent, and he began to relax in the aftermath of their victory. “Mmh, I wanna go home…”

 

“He’s gone.” Derek grumbled as he and Braeden returned to the surface, nodding at Argent when he joined them. The other hunters had left, a cloud of dust in the distance. “Kate?”

“No idea.” Argent shook his head. “I shot her, but didn’t finish her off.”

“We need to track them down.”

“I doubt they went together.” Braeden sighed, nodding at Stiles and Scott. “The trail is fresh, and the Deputy’s truck can carry you all.”

“But-”

“Scott,” Argent laid a hand on the teen’s shoulder. “You’ve done enough, let us handle family.”

“Ok, be careful.” 

“They won’t find Peter, not until he wants to be found.” Stiles whispered, Liam at his side, looking at him. He glanced over as he felt a gaze lingering on him: Parrish. “C’mon.”

“Stiles.”

“Deputy Parrish.” Stiles grinned at him, seeing the corners of the man’s mouth flicker upwards. “You know, the Sheriff is gonna be pissed about you working outside your jurisdiction.”

“Doesn’t seem to have stopped you.”

“Well, the renowned werewolf rescue expert Stiles Stilinski doesn’t have a jurisdiction!” Stiles hooked Liam around his waist and pulled the tired werewolf to his side as he struck a noble pose. “I go where the cases take me, baby!”

“Uh, maybe they can take you home now?” Liam mumbled against his skin as he pressed his nose into Stiles’ neck. “C’monnnnn!”

“Your sidekick seems to have the right idea.” Parrish smiled warmly at them and gathered up the weapons from the hood. “Get in, guys.”

“Who are you calling a sidekick…” Liam whispered, eyes already closed as he let Stiles push him into the front seat, standing for a moment and then sitting down into Stiles’ lap. “Mpmh.”

“Not exactly legal,” Stiles shrugged, glancing at Scott, Kira, and Malia getting into the back seat, and pulled the seatbelt across him and Liam. “But we’re not really in a hurry, you can take your time.”

“Haha,” The Deputy sniggered. “Your father is still going to be mad, Stiles, whether we get home at dusk or midnight!”

“Ugh, I know.” He grumbled, sliding his arms around Liam, his boyfriend’s warm body lulling him to sleep as they left the church of the Berserkers behind.

 

Stiles blinked his eyes awake, looking out at the green fields and rolling farmlands. “We’re back in California?”

“Yeah, about an hour from home.” Deputy Parrish nodded, gesturing to the backseat with his thumb. “Everyone else is still asleep, I guess you guys were busy, huh?”

“Uh huh.” Stiles rubbed his face. “It’s weird how normal this has become. Last year I thought the most exciting thing that was ever gonna happen would be Scott being a werewolf.”

“And now that’s boring?” Parrish glanced at him when Stiles nodded. “I know what you mean.”

“My Dad said you were in the Army?”

“Yeah, um, EOD; Explosive Ordnance Disposal.” The Deputy stared into the distance along the wide, straight highway. “Served one tour in Afghanistan, defusing mostly IEDs; roadside bombs, you know?”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Stiles muttered. “That must have been tough.”

“On the bad days, sure.” Parrish shook his head and glanced over at them, forcing a smile to his face. “But I’m a Sheriff’s Deputy now.”

“A different way of keeping people safe.”

“That’s…a nice way to look at it.” Parrish smirked ruefully and then frowned. “So, I reckon you and Lydia are the smartest members of the pack-”

“Liam says Mason is pretty sharp.” Stiles cut across him. “Sorry.”

“Yeah, well, then maybe you can tell me. Do you know what I am?”

“No, I don’t.” Stiles replied after a pause, holding the Deputy’s gaze. “But me and Lydia will put our heads together, we’ll work on it. The answer has to be out there somewhere; the Benefactor wouldn’t have targeted you otherwise.”

“Yeah, ok.” He sighed. “I just wish things were more normal, you know? I thought Beacon Hills would be a fresh start.”

“Running from something?” There was a pause as Parrish opened his mouth and then closed it and Stiles nodded, adding softly, “Or someone?”

“Something like that.”

 

“You go in first!” Stiles pushed a reluctant Liam forward into the Sheriff’s Station, crouching behind his boyfriend and ignoring the sniggers from the officers around him. Liam dug his heels in and Stiles grunted, applying his shoulder to get the Beta moving again. “Come, ugh, on!”

“Why do I have to go in first?” Liam tried to turn around, but Stiles dodged his gaze. “Stiles!”

“Because you’re my shield! You told my Dad you’d protect me!” Stiles managed between frustrated grunts, trying to tilt Liam sideways through his father’s office door. “Almost…got…it!”

“I can see you, Stiles.” The Sheriff was looking at him from the coffee machine, steaming cup in one hand, folder in the other.

“Oh! Hey, Dad!” Stiles stood up and tried for casual, failing spectacularly as he flailed around, looking for something to lean on, eventually settling for Liam’s shoulder, ignoring the werewolf’s glare. “How ya been?”

“My office. Now.” The Sheriff pointed. “And no hiding behind your boyfriend, either; he’s just a Freshman.” The other officers chuckled at that and Stiles scowled, but trailed into the office after Liam.

“You know,” Stiles said as he closed the door, “Liam did actually protect me.”

“And I’m grateful for that.” The Sheriff gave the werewolf a quick smile, turning back to Stiles. “But now I’m going to have nightmares about what exactly you needed saving _from!_ ”

“Oh, just Scott turned into a Berserker with bone claws and Alpha strength and no recognition of his friends at all.”

“Ugh…” Liam covered his eyes as the Sheriff went a dark shade of purple. “Did you have to tell him that?”

“I’m trying to be more honest.” Stiles shrugged. “That’s what you want, right, Dad?”

“Err…maybe not after all.” He sighed, opening his drawer and tossing out a blister pack onto the table. “But you still need to explain this.”

“Explain what?” Stiles replied looking innocent as Liam immediately flushed. _Oh, crap._

“Do you know what these are, Liam?”

“Um…”

“It’s Temazepam, a Schedule IV controlled substance.” The Sheriff glared at them. “I need an explanation, here, Stiles.”

“I took it!” Liam cried out. “I mean, I took it from my step-father; neither of us actually _took_ it. Uh, I thought Stiles might need help getting to sleep with the pain of his injury, and the game, and I didn’t mean, I just, I-”

“Ok, ok,” He held up his hands as Liam started to ramble, his eyes glistening when he looked at his boyfriend. The Sheriff put the pills back into the drawer and fixed them both with a stern look. “This is your one-time, get out of jail free card! I’m not going to tell your parents, Liam, but you, Stiles, are grounded.”

“What?!” Stiles leapt up. “But we explained that-”

“Oh, no, not for this.” The Sheriff smirked. “For taking off to Mexico without telling me and instead leaving me to kill a Berserker with a landmine!”

“What?” He stared at his father, and then grinned. “That sounds kinda badass actually.”

“Mason and Lydia didn’t think so.”

“Shit.” Liam muttered, getting up too as the Sheriff came around the desk. “I totally forgot about Mason, I, I need to call him!”

 

“Stiles?”

“Yeah, Dad?” He looked back at his father, as Liam spoke excitedly to Mason, recounting his adventures. “What is it?”

“I’m glad you’re alright, son.” They embraced for a moment, before the Sheriff released him and nodded at Liam. “Your punishment won’t start until tomorrow, and it’s only for a week. Go on home, with Liam, you guys deserve some downtime.”

“Thanks, Dad!” Stiles grinned and walked over to his boyfriend, gesturing to where his Jeep was parked in the lot outside. “C’mon, pup, it’s finally over!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contrary to what Stiles just said, it’s not over! But I'll be waiting until January 2018 to start updating this story again. There’ll be filler content for 5 or 6 chapters (including a smut-filled first time) and then I’ll start on my season 5 adaptation.


	70. Tenterhooks

Liam looked over his shoulder as a locker door banged loudly behind him, but it was only a group of other lacrosse players rough-housing. He nodded to himself and slowly counted to five, waiting for his claws to retract. _Stiles is already outside for me…but I can’t really go out to him all fangy like last night. I’ve never seen him lunge for the baseball bat so fast!_ The werewolf smirked to himself as Liam remembered his boyfriend’s face when he explained that it had just been a stray cat jumping on some trashcans that spooked him for a moment. “He laughed, eventually.” They had both been on edge since the week of their return, but with Stiles’ punishment finally ending this afternoon, Liam was eager to spend some quality time with him.

Stiles tapped his fingers along to the tune playing on the Jeep’s radio. _So what if it only tunes to one station now? I can dig Country…getting depressing though, how many times can they sing about being left at the altar?!_ He brightened up as Liam came running through the doors at the front of the school, ignoring the steps completely, and launching himself into the air to land on the pavement with a careful roll. “Fuck!” Stiles twisted the keys hurriedly and gunned the engine, looking desperately into the back seat for his bat, while also glancing up to try and identify the threat Liam was obviously running away from. The passenger door was wrenched open and Stiles glanced at him. “Well? What is it? Werewolf? Assassin? Don’t tell me it’s a Berserker?!”

“Um…”

“Don’t ‘um’ me, Liam!” Stiles screamed at him, throwing the Jeep into Drive and roaring out of the parking lot, swerving wildly around the few remaining students. “What the hell has you running so fast?!”

“I wanted to see you?”

“WHAT?!” Stiles slammed on the brakes and they rocked to a halt in the middle of the road. He glared at Liam, the werewolf sinking down into the seat. “That’s it?” Stiles ignored the irritated horns behind him and waited until his boyfriend matched his furious gaze. “I thought we were in danger.”

“We might be if you don’t start driving…” Liam muttered.

“Grrr.” Stiles growled in a good impression of a werewolf and pressed the accelerator down. They drove in silence, Liam trying to hide his smirk as Stiles shook his head, eventually speaking, “Ok, so, maybe we need to get used to what normal is again.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” He caught Stiles’ eye as they turned onto his street. “I couldn’t eat at lunch today because I was so nervous thinking about where you were, how come you weren’t with me, until I realized that you and Scott were taking that make-up test.”

“I told you that this morning.”

“I forgot.” Liam shrugged, staring at his house as they approached the curb. “Is there, like, a werewolf shrink, or something?”

“Um, there’s Deaton?” Stiles shrugged, turning off the engine. “I’m not sure, I mean you could always talk to Scott, if you-”

“No.” He shook his head quickly. “He’s my Alpha, I wouldn’t feel comfortable talking to him about this.”

“About what?”

“Just…this.” Liam gestured helplessly. “I don’t want to feel like we’re constantly under attack, or that I need to be looking over my shoulder all the time. Mason keeps saying that I’m way too jumpy, and I dropped all the lacrosse sticks earlier when Coach yelled at me to hurry up.”

“It’s becoming noticeable.” Stiles replied slowly, understanding. “Ok, well, at tonight’s get together, I’ll ask Scott for some help. Don’t worry, I’ll make it seem like I’m the one who needs to talk about supernatural stuff.”

“Thanks, Stiles.” Liam smiled at him, and gestured at the house. “You coming in?”

“Yeah, of course.” He checked his phone, sighing. “We don’t have much time, though, pack meeting is in ninety minutes.”

“How long did you think we’d need?” Liam giggled when Stiles shot him a look. “I know, I know, all above the waist until my birthday…but, c’mon, Stiles, you’re killing me here! It’s not for another two weeks! I’m having wet dreams about you!”

“Um, thanks?” Stiles frowned, getting out of the car. “Look, pup, you’ll thank me when we have our first time; it’ll be so much more intense.”

“Yeah, but, I’ll cum almost instantly!”

“Shh!” Stiles glared at his boyfriend, and nodded awkwardly at the delivery man walking down from the house next to them. “Hi...” He pushed Liam playfully once the man was gone and jostled him forward to the door. “Let’s go in before you embarrass me anymore!”

“Hey!”

 

“Ughhhh.” Liam groaned as Stiles reached over to grab his silently buzzing phone. “Leave it, please, c’monnnn!”

“Sorry, pup.” Stiles kissed his lips quickly, successfully answering before his boyfriend could speak again. “Hey?”

_“Stiles? Where are you?”_

“Oh, Scott.” Liam muttered, tilting his head forward to hear the Alpha speak.

“Yeah, I’m still at Liam’s, why?” Stiles’ pulse ticked a little higher and Liam whined softly, nosing against his neck. “What’s wrong, Scott?”

_“Oh, it’s nothing really. I just…”_ The Alpha sounded distracted, like he was searching for something. _”When are you gonna be here, I kinda need your advice.”_

“Yeah, no, I’m-” Stiles cut off and looked at Liam, gesturing for him to move. The younger teenager just looked back at him obliviously, forcing Stiles to sigh. “I’ll call you when I’m in the car, Scott, just hang on ten minutes.” He hung up in the middle of Scott’s response, and bucked upwards. “Liam! We gotta go!”

“Fine.” The werewolf rolled off him, watching as Stiles leapt to his feet and picked up his discarded t-shirt. “Scott didn’t sound that worried, maybe it’s nothing.”

“Or maybe there’s a giant monster in the forest that’s distracting him!” Stiles’ arms flailed wildly. “C’mon! C’mon! C’mon! C’mon! Hustle, Liam, hustle!”

“You channelling your inner Coach Finstock?” Liam muttered, but sat up and pulled his hoodie over his head, following Stiles’ furious hand gestures. “I’m going, I’m going, fuck!”

“Yeah, you look great.” Stiles replied absently, reaching out to spike Liam’s hair back up from the mess it had been in when they were making out. “Don’t pout at me, pup, if we’re heading into another crisis, we might as well look damn good!”

“Ugh.” Liam rolled his eyes, but faithfully followed Stiles downstairs.

 

Liam moved to one side as Stiles rushed past him, practically shoulder-charging the door to Scott’s house, and falling through it when Malia unexpectedly opened it from the inside. “Um…”

“Ah ha!” Stiles managed to remain standing by grabbing the coatrack nearby and pivoted himself forward. “Where’s Scott? Where’s the crisis?!”

“Uh, he’s in the kitchen,” Malia pointed, and Stiles sprinted across the living room, dodging around Lydia with a brief apology. The werecoyote stared at Liam. “What’s with him?”

“He’s still in crisis-mode?” Liam shrugged, walking inside. “And I thought I was jumpy…”

“WHAT?!”

The Beta sniggered into the drink Lydia offered him when Stiles’ outraged shout echoed through the house. “Called it.”

“Sorry, dude, I just didn’t know if you’d consider Twinkies to be offensive, since you said Liam was kinda twinkie and-”

“I meant like a twink! _Twinky!_ ” Stiles emerged from the kitchen behind Scott, glaring at his best friend so intensely Liam was concerned that the Alpha might actually burst into flame. “Smooth, hot, slim, like a twink, Scott!”

“Well, how was I supposed to know that?” Scott shrugged and poured chips into a bowel. “These are the safer option, right?”

“Yeah, sure.” Stiles dropped into the seat beside Liam, shaking his head. “I broke every speed limit just to get here, even swerved around an ambulance, thinking you were in danger!”

“That was pretty scary, actually.” Liam murmured, “He flashed his lights at you.”

“Yeah, it’s a minor traffic violation, my Dad’s the Sheriff, it’s no big deal.” Stiles dismissed it with a wave and took a sip of Liam’s drink after his boyfriend offered it to him. “Thanks.”

“Um, ok, so, now that we’re all here,” Scott sat down next to Kira, the Kitsune smirking at Stiles and biting into a Twinkie with great relish. “I guess I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for coming to get me in Mexico.”

“Scott!” Lydia sighed, and Malia rolled her eyes.

“I know, I know, I already said this.” He smiled at them, directing his gaze at Liam. “But pack is important, and even though tonight’s ‘crisis’ wasn’t a crisis, it’s good to have you all here with me.”

“How does this work?” Liam whispered to Stiles, looking at him, a faint anxiety touching his scent.

“Oh, we just hang out, watch TV, talk, normal stuff.” Stiles shrugged, putting his arm around Liam’s shoulders, and lowered his voice. “Don’t worry, I’ll speak to Scott in a while, just relax, go with the flow.”

“Ok, Stiles.” Liam nodded, and leaned into his boyfriend, concentrating on his steady heartbeat. _Just hanging out, no monster attacks, or crazy Hunters, that sounds nice…_

 

“Are you sure about this?” Liam looked at him and then at the front door of the Animal Clinic. It was Saturday morning and the two of them were parked outside of Deaton’s surgery, Scott having assured Stiles the night before that the man would be willing to talk to him about everything that had happened to them over the past month. “I mean-”

“Don’t worry, I made an appointment; you’re in between a Highland Terrier with a skin condition, and a puppy here for his shots.” Stiles tried and failed to suppress his grin even as Liam glowered at him. “It’s Saturday, dude, he’s always busy. At least Scott won’t be in until the afternoon.”

“Hmph.”

“So, are we going in?” 

“You don’t have to come.” Liam muttered, climbing out of the Jeep, even as Stiles followed him. “Unless we’re going together?”

“No, it’s fine. I’m gonna talk to my Dad later.” Stiles became more serious. “It’s not all monsters and hunters and massive body counts being the law in Beacon Hills, he’s dealt with some pretty serious situations as Sheriff and Deputy Sheriff through the years. I should be able to pick his brain for ways on getting a handle on normality again. Plus, Deputy Parrish was a soldier, I bet he’s seen some stuff, I might talk to him too.”

“Ok.” Liam nodded. “That’s good, right.” They entered the Animal Clinic just as an elderly woman was exiting, a small, white-haired dog following her in a tartan jacket. Stiles stared at it, and Liam smiled when the dog paused and sniffed the leg of his jeans. 

“Come along, Alphie!”

“You’re here for advice, aren’t you?” Deaton called over to them, and Stiles nodded.

“Yeah,” He looked around the crowded waiting room and the dogs of all shapes and sizes. Stiles grinned suddenly, gripping Liam from behind. “Our puppy isn’t feeling so good, but, um, Liam is a lot better at listening than I am. I’ll wait out here, ok?”

“Fine.” Liam growled at him, seeing Stiles wiggle his brows impishly. But the werewolf followed Deaton into the surgery and hopped up on the table.

“What are you doing?”

“Um, I thought…?” Liam flushed scarlet and slid off the surgical table. “Sorry.”

“Stiles said you were feeling anxious, worried, stressed out?” Deaton prompted him and patted on a nearby stool. “Becoming a werewolf is hard enough, but then immediately facing into assassins and Hunters must have been challenging.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Liam didn’t match his eyes, shrugging. “I had Stiles, so it was ok, but now we’re both jumping every time someone shouts or a door slams, and I just feel…weird, like I should be fighting or something, but I’m not because there’s nothing there to fight.”

“That’s a perfectly normal reaction, Liam.” Deaton nodded. “And it’s good that you can lean on Stiles, and he can lean on you. Things will calm down, they always do: nothing can ever be all bad.”

“Right.” 

“Give it a few weeks, and gradually you’ll stop looking over your shoulder, you’ll stop worrying about where the next hit is going to come from.” The older man smiled at him. “And even if a new monster appears, Stiles and Scott tell me that you’re quite a fighter, I’m sure you can protect yourself and Stiles.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Liam nodded. “Yeah.”

“Do you feel better?”

“Actually, yeah, I do.” He brightened up. “Maybe I just needed to get it off my chest, you know? Hear that it is gonna be alright in the end. Stiles says it all the time, but hearing it from someone as old as you? Yeah!” 

“Um.”

“Oh, sorry.” Liam flushed, “I mean, you’re not ancient or anything, just like, forty?”

“Ok, I think we’re done.” Deaton clicked his tongue and smirked as the werewolf stammered his thanks. “Just be glad you don’t have to pay my consultation fee.”

“Really?”

“Stiles took care of it.”

“Wow.” Liam whispered, following the Vet out into the waiting room, and standing to one side as he listened to Stiles, a smirk playing about his lips.

 

“…aww, he’s a really cute doggy!” Stiles cooed as the floppy-eared puppy yipped softly.

“Thanks.” The woman smiled at him, “So, your dog with Dr Deaton?”

“That’s right.” Stiles glanced across at Liam and grinned. “I’m not sure my pup is as cute as that though, maybe a different kind of cute!”

“Oh, what breed is he?”

“He’s a wolf…hound, wolfhound.”

“I hear they get really big?”

“Yup.” Stiles grinned wider, “Parts of him are really big and firm! He’s still growing.” He added as the woman nodded. “Growing hard!”

“Oh, well that’s-”

“If you’d excuse me,” Stiles stood up, smiling politely at her, and walked over to Liam, whispering, “You ok, pup?”

“I’m going to kill you.” Liam glowered at him, but Stiles could see his boyfriend trying not to laugh too. “Let’s get out of here, I wanna get some lunch.”

“Cool.” Stiles nodded and opened the door of the Animal Clinic, heading for the Jeep. “What about the afternoon?”

“You’re gonna help me with my English project, remember?” He sighed, climbing into the passenger seat. “Since we won’t be doing anything else…”

“Relax, your birthday is already one day closer!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is no longer on hiatus; I’ll be updating it regularly from now on. There’ll be six more chapters of original content before I do my take on season 5 for this story. Thanks for reading!


	71. Stiles' Nerdfest

Liam looked at the three DVDs on the table next to some sort of weird boxy tape things, and he frowned at Stiles as his boyfriend knelt down, arms extended around the back of the TV. “Do you need a hand?”

“Nope! Got it!” Stiles grunted, gripping the VHS cable and plugging it into the port on the TV. He nodded happily to himself, shuffling backwards to tilt the screen towards the room again. “Alright! I’m so stoked that you finally caved. We’re gonna have such a good time tonight! You will love them, I promise!”

“Well, I didn’t know there were this many.” Liam mumbled. “Is this going to be a marathon or something? Is that why our date night is starting at six in the evening?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Stiles gestured for him to follow, and they walked into the kitchen. He grinned when Liam stopped dead, stomach rumbling eagerly. “My Dad is at a conference, and he’s staying overnight, so the house is ours. And since we’re waiting until your birthday to relieve the pressure down south…” Liam rolled his eyes at him. “I figured we could watch them all in one sitting. And they’re kinda long, so we’re gonna need a lot of snacks, lot of soda, we’ll have pizza after the first one. I got like, other, nibbly food for you later, since I know you get frustrated if you go to bed hungry.”

“Aw, thanks, Stiles.” Liam grinned at him and moved closer to kiss his lips. “No Twinkies?!”

“Don’t start.” Stiles glared at him and patted his stomach gently. “Do you know how much fat is in them?”

“Says the guy surrounded by chocolate and chips and soda and…is that cake?”

“Uh, yeah, it’s cake.” Stiles sounded nervous. “Just something I thought I’d try my hand at last night…at three am.” He added as Liam fixed him with a stare. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“Huh.” The werewolf leaned forward and scooped up a dollop of frosting with his finger. “Mmh! Tastes good. Maybe you should have insomnia more often!”

“Thanks.” Stiles grinned at him and gestured at the counter. “Grab a few things and let’s get this movie night going!”

 

“So, we got two choices,” Stiles began, laying out the movies on the coffee table. “We can go in chronological order as the films were made; starting with Episodes IV, V, and VI-”

“What?” Liam broke in, “They started at four? That makes no sense.”

“I know.” Stiles replied calmly. “Then, in the early noughties, they made I, II, and III. So, we can go like that, or we can go in order of the story?”

“Um, makes more sense to go in order, right?” Liam shrugged. “I mean, you’ve watched them hundreds of times before.”

“Not _hundreds_ , err, maybe a couple of dozen.” He smirked. “Me and Scott were meant to do this once, watch all the Star Wars, I mean. But then he had his first date, and we said we’d re-schedule, but we never did…his loss!”

“Yeah.” Liam opened a bar of chocolate, nodding at the boxy shapes. “What are those things? Where are the DVDs for the older ones?”

“Oh, you poor, sweet child!” Stiles laughed at him, picking up the tapes. “This is a VHS cassette, made in the 1970s, and the only way to watch the original _Star Wars_. Damn Lucas edited all the old ones to reflect the new ones…I could fucking kill him!”

“Um, ok.” Liam watched as Stiles’ eyes narrowed, and the sharp scent of anger boiled off him. “So, they’re the original, unedited versions?”

“Right.” He nodded and stood up, opening the DVD case for the first film. “I don’t know _everything_ about the Expanded Universe, but, like, you can ask me, and I’ll try and answer, and explain things as we’re going along.”

“Got it.”

Stiles sat back on the couch, turning up the volume and grinned at Liam. “This is gonna be awesome, dude! You’ll finally get all my jokes and references!”

 

_“I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.”_

“Ugh.” Liam sighed to himself as he watched Anakin and Padmé flirt, or rather, watched the Padawan’s robotic attempts to flirt. _Yup, that’s a word I now know…_ The werewolf shifted uncomfortably, and glanced at Stiles, frowning at the way his boyfriend was paying rapt attention to the screen, even his lips were moving as he whispered Padmé’s response. _Oh my god, he really is a fanboy! But…hmm, well, Anakin is kinda hot. He was just an annoying little boy in the first one, but he’s grown up into a kinda boring stud, but still a stud! Oh crap._ Liam looked at his crotch suddenly and felt his erection push up around the slightly looser than normal trunks. Stiles hadn’t noticed yet and Liam smirked to himself. _I wonder what will it take to make him notice?_

Stiles frowned as a strange noise reached his ears, like two pieces of fabric brushing against each other. He looked towards the door, and then across the coffee table, over the boxes of leftover pizza to the baseboard, but the sound was closer to him. “Um, hang on.” Stiles muttered slowly, reaching up to pause the film, hearing a soft moan when the video froze on Anakin’s face. “No way…” Stiles glared at Liam. “Are you jerking off to Darth Vader?!”

“What?” Liam pulled his hand out of his pants guiltily. “Uh, wait, _what?_ ”

“Never mind the spoiler!”

“Um, he’s hot?”

“Hmm.” Stiles’ gaze intensified. “I’m literally right here.”

“Yeah, but you decided we weren’t gonna do anything below the waistline, remember?” Liam lifted his shirt with a mischievous grin, show the tip of his cock pushed up towards his belly button. “See?”

“I do.” Stiles clicked his tongue and glanced at the screen. “He _is_ pretty hot in this one, though not so much in the next one. Well, you get to see him shirtless, but, I don’t think you’re gonna wait that long!” He looked at Liam’s gleaming eyes, pressed play, and slid across the couch, dropping his mouth onto the protruding tip.

“Ah!” Liam arched up, unthinkingly gripping Stiles’ hair tight as he slurped and sucked with gusto. The werewolf bucked for about ten seconds before feeling his balls tighten and Stiles pull off him, arcs of cream flying out to splatter across his stomach and t-shirt. His lips remained parted for a few seconds, before slumping back, and looking apologetically at his boyfriend. “I’m sorry, that was pathetic, I just-”

“It’s fine.” Stiles smirked at him, wiping his face with a napkin. He swirled soda around his mouth and glanced at Liam. “Seriously, we’re gonna have a hell of a lotta fun on your birthday if that was anything to go by! Plus, I’m gonna have to brush up on my teasing techniques!”

 

Liam glanced at Stiles, seeing him grin even wider, despite the late hour. “What-”

“Shush!” Stiles cried out loudly, waving his arm wildly. “Here it comes!”

_“This facility is crude, but it should be adequate to freeze Skywalker for his journey to the Emperor.”_

“What’s coming?”

“The carbonite scene!”

“Oh.” Liam continued to watch, and frowned as Stiles hummed along to the music, his head bobbing in time with the tune. “Uh, Stiles?”

"I challenge you to go to bed tonight and _not_ be humming the Imperial March!" Stiles said to Liam. "Hmm, hmm, hmm, huh huh, hmm, hmm, hmm!"

“Uh, right.” He grinned suddenly. “Wait, that’s it! That’s what you said to me, remember?”

“Oh, yeah, how could I forget that moment?” Stiles shook his head, “Talking about carbonite as though I could just head down to the corner store and grab a bag of it! At least now you know what an idiot you sounded like.”

“Hey!”

 

Stiles grinned to himself as the final credits scene rolled onto the screen. “Awesome!” He glanced at Liam, but his boyfriend was resting against him, asleep. “Huh, well, you were awake for the big redemption scene, so I guess that’s ok…” Stiles moved carefully, trying not to disturb him, extending his legs onto the couch and pulling the blanket at the other end over them. Liam shifted his position, resting more easily on Stiles’ chest as the older teenager lay on his back. “Cool.”

“Mmh?” Liam muttered sleepily. “Wha…”

“It’s ok.” Stiles kissed the top of his head and smiled. “Go back to sleep, we reached the end of the movies.”

“Great.” Liam nuzzled against him, closing his eyes. “You gonna be referencing them non-stop for the next week, right?”

“Pretty much, my young apprentice!” Stiles half-choked, half-cackled at him.

“Ugh.” Liam groaned good naturedly.


	72. Liam's Birthday Party Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part One of Liam’s Birthday will focus on the party, while Part Two will contain smut, so if you want to skip over that aspect of their relationship, you don’t have to read that chapter.

“So, you’re all set?” Liam looked hopefully at his step-father, nodding towards the small suitcases at the door. “You’ll be late for your, um, reservations.”

“First off, it’s a country retreat, I don’t think you can be late for those,” Dr Geyer fixed him with a stern look. “Second off, we’re only going to Oak Ridge, it’s less than half an hour away, so if anything happens, we can come right home.”

“Nothing is going to happen!”

“We’re trusting you, Liam.” He glanced at the kitchen where his wife and Mason were finishing pouring the snacks and candy into bowls. “So, that means no drinking, no drugs, and no-”

“What sort of birthday party do you think I’m having?!” Liam stared at him. “It’s just me and Mason, and a few friends; we’ll talk, play some music, the Wii, that’s it.”

“Will Stiles be here?”

“Yeah,” The werewolf nodded. “Why? I thought you liked him?”

“As I recall, the first time you and he…interacted, he was drunk at a party, right?”

“Uh, uh,” Liam stammered, shrugging. “Well, he won’t be tonight!”

“Uh huh.” Dr Geyer watched him for a moment, brows furrowed, before he nodded. “Ok, I’m going to get the car started, go tell your Mom it’s time to go.”

“Sweet!”

“Liam?”

“Uh, yeah?” He half-turned, flushing after his excited exclamation. “What?”

“Try and keep things a little normal, don’t get too crazy, ok?”

“I won’t break anything,” Liam looked at the floor, ears burning. “It won’t be like last year, I can control my anger, but, I _won’t_ get angry.”

 

“Scott!” Stiles glared at his best friend as he settled back into the passenger seat, Malia climbing over Kira and Lydia to sit behind him in the back. “Watch the cake!”

“I got it, relax.” The Alpha grinned at him and held up the frosted confection for the three girls to see. “We made it this afternoon, well, Stiles made it, and I helped with the decorating!”

“I can see that.” Lydia’s voice was carefully neutral. “It’s very…”

“Beautiful!” Kira dived in, smiling and nodding at Scott. “Absolutely beautiful!”

“Um, are those meant to be…wolves on the side, under his…name?” Malia frowned at the icing.

“Yeah.” Stiles snapped icily at her. “What else would they be?”

“Well, they kinda look like shee-”

“Wolves!” Kira cut across Malia, grinning again. “Great wolves, guys!”

“Ugh, let’s just go.” Stiles grunted, turning out of Malia’s gate and back along the gravel track to the road. He kept glancing at Scott’s lap, where the cake was being expertly balanced by the Alpha, even as flecks of cream and frosting dotted Scott’s bare forearms.

“I got it, Stiles, chill man.” Scott grinned at him, eyes sparkling, his tone relaxed. 

“Ok.” Stiles looked in the mirror, seeing that even Malia had brought a brightly wrapped gift for Liam. “What did you guys get him?”

“Lacrosse socks.”

“Cologne.”

“Condoms and lube.”

“What?!” Stiles swerved violently, turning around to stare at Malia. “Why would you give him that?”

“I have a nose.” She glanced at Scott, shrugging. “You can smell it too, right? The constant arousal, the way his pulse spikes, that special scent that means he’s ready to mate! What’s that called? Oh, oh, I know this one…”

“Uh,” Stiles glanced at Scott, seeing him flush. “I don’t-”

“Precum!” Malia shouted excitedly. “I knew I knew it!”

“Yup…” Stiles kept driving slowly, his cheeks burning as silence lay heavy inside the Jeep. He didn’t look at anyone, except checking to make sure the cake was still intact. After five minutes of awkwardness, he let out a breath, easing the Jeep to a stop in a heavy line of traffic. “Sooooo…summer vacation soon…”

“Oh, that’s right, Scott,” Kira perked up, reaching forward to pat her boyfriend’s shoulder. “I forgot to tell you, but my aunt Anzu is coming over from Japan, but she’ll be staying in New York for all of August, and my parents agreed to let me stay with her! Isn’t that exciting?!”

“But you’ll be gone for that month,” Scott frowned, and then brightened up. “It’s cool, we’ll be together all Senior year anyway.”

“Are you sure? I can just go for a few days, and tell-”

“No, don’t worry, go have fun!” He grinned.

“Traffic is moving again.” Stiles muttered, rolling his eyes. _Dude! You can’t just tell her that, do you know how many hot guys New York has?! Scotty, bro…_ He cleared his throat, turning off onto the quieter residential streets. “So, I don’t mean to jinx us, but, it’s been almost a month since Mexico and Kate, and nothing bad has happened.”

“Well, we’re rested and ready if it does!” Scott smiled at him, lifting the cake when Stiles stopped dead to let a little old woman inch slowly across the street in front of them. “Um, I can just see some grey hair above the hood, don’t go yet.”

“Relax Stiles,” Lydia caught his eye. “Enjoy the fact that we get to be normal teenagers for a while.”

“I know, it just feels, kinda weird, I guess.” Stiles shrugged, looking to Scott for when he could start driving again. “Well?”

“Annnnnnd, go!”

 

“Have you asked that Corey guy out yet?” Liam glanced at Mason as they waited for Stiles and the others to arrive. “He was at lacrosse practice today, he’s not…fantastic, but he is cute, I guess.”

“I know.” Mason sighed, “I was in the bleachers, remember? But I don’t know, dude, I think he’s interested in that Sophomore on the soccer team, um, what’s his name? Guy with the…oh, Lucas, yeah, I saw them sitting together at lunch. Maybe they’re already together?”

“Maybe you should talk to him.”

“Uh, yeah, maybe.” Mason bit his lip, turning to Liam. “But, um, I’m kinda hoping tonight might be a success for both of us.”

“What?” Liam glared at him. “You better not be after my boyfriend again, bro!”

“I’m not, jeez,” He shook his head quickly. “And I didn’t know you had super-werewolf powers at the time, I never would have mentioned that I was gonna jerk-”

“Ahhh!” Liam cried out, waving his arms in a good imitation of Stiles. “I still don’t need to know that!”

“Right, well, I meant that, maybe I invited someone to your party that you might not have expected.” Mason took a quick breath as Liam’s brows furrowed. “You said I could, remember?”

“Yeah, but that was me being subtle about you asking Corey, not…” He trailed off, nose twitching and Liam glared at the door. “You invited _him_?!”

“Sorry.” Mason shrugged, skipping over to the front door as the door bell rang. He pulled it open with a grin. “Brett!”

“Hey.” The handsome guy stepped inside, dress shirt clinging to his muscular torso, a few buttons left open to allow for a glance onto the smooth expanse of skin along his collar bones. “Hi Liam.”

“Brett.” The werewolf grunted, folding his arms. 

“We’re all friends, now, right?” Brett smiled at them, nodding in Liam’s direction. “Happy Birthday, Liam.” He took the hand that was behind his back and offered him a brightly wrapped box.

“Oh, thanks!” Liam smiled, moving forward to accept the gift. He hesitated in front of the lacrosse player, unsure if he should shake his hand or hug him, in the end he just punched Brett lightly on the shoulder. “Cool.” Liam looked around him, a much brighter grin spreading across his face when he saw Stiles’ Jeep rolled to a stop at the curb. “Stiles!”

“C’mon,” Mason beckoned Brett further inside, taking the present from Liam’s hands.

“Happy Birthday, Liam!” Lydia greeted him with a hug, stepping inside. “I’ll put your present on the table, ok?”

“Uh, yeah, thanks.” He smiled at her in surprise, turning back in time to receive another hug from Kira. “Hi.”

“Happy Birthday!”

“This is the first birthday party I’ve ever been to.” Malia was looking him up and down critically. “On the computer they had hats.”

“Um…” Liam glanced at Scott for help, but the Alpha just smirked at him. “I can get you some, I think we still have them from when I was a kid.”

“Good.” Malia nodded approvingly, and leaned in, not quite whispering as she spoke. “I have a little hat for you too.”

“Oh? Err, good?”

“That’s what the guy at the bowling alley called it, I’m not sure why, something to do with his ‘small head’.” She glanced at him as Liam flushed. “It’s wasn’t that small though, anyway, there’s plenty of lube-”

“Okay!” Scott called out loudly, pushing Malia gently aside, and slapping Liam’s shoulder enthusiastically. “Happy Birthday to my best Beta ever!”

“I’m your only Beta…” Liam muttered as Scott stepped past him, steering a confused Malia over to the girls. He shook his head and smiled as Stiles approached him, hands full. “Wait, is that a cake? For me?”

“No, no, it’s a seat cushion.” Stiles smirked at him. “Of course it’s for you! You liked the one I accidentally made for Star Wars night, so I figured that a proper birthday cake was the least I could do.”

“So, I’m guessing my Mom didn’t _forget_ to get a cake?”

“Nope, I talked to her about it last week when you were getting changed.” Stiles balanced the cake plate carefully and leaned in to kiss Liam’s lips. He pulled back after a second or two, grinning as he whispered soft enough that only Liam could hear him. “Save it for later, pup, that’s my real present for you!”

“Mmh, hungry for it!” Liam’s eyes flashed yellow for a moment, before he shook his head and gestured inside. “You can put the cake on the table over there.”

“Cool.”

“What’s that?” Mason stared at the ornately frosted and decorated cake. He started to snigger, “It kinda looks like-”

“Stiles made it.” Liam growled, cutting across his best friend. “It’s awesome.”

“I helped decorate!” Scott called out proudly. “I did the werewolves!”

“Oh, um, it’s…great.” Mason nodded quickly. “Best cake ever.”

“Hmm.” Liam hugged Stiles affectionately now that his hands were free, but he still gave Mason the evil eye when they broke apart. “I bet it tastes amazing.”

“Yep.” Mason glanced at Brett for support, but the other werewolf just shook his head. “So…um, music?”

“Sounds good, I’ll help you pick something out.” Brett gestured away from the still-scowling Liam.

“Hey, pup, it’s ok.” Stiles kissed his cheek again, and his boyfriend glanced at him. “Now, what does the cake-maker have to do to get a drink around here?”

“I only have soda.”

“I brought a bottle of bourbon.” Scott smirked at them, “I know we can’t get drunk, but I kinda like the taste, and Jack Daniels is Stiles’ true weakness.”

“I love you, man!” Stiles grinned, glancing at Liam, “Well, I love _you_ more, but I’ll have a drink, if you’re cool with that?”

“Yeah, totally.” Liam nodded, “I’d actually like to try it, since we can’t get drunk and all. We just need to hide the evidence, my step-father will freak out if he thinks you were drinking.”

“Cool, give it to me, Scott!”

 

Liam smirked to himself as he watched Brett and Mason sneak off towards the back yard, his best friend already tipsy from Scott’s heavy-hand when it came to doling out the alcohol. But it didn’t matter, Stiles was laughing and re-enacting adventures from their tangles with the Kanima that Liam had only heard about before, Scott jumping up and mock-fighting with Stiles as he pretended to be the “lizard-monster.” Even Lydia was laughing at them, and Liam remembered that Stiles had said the Kanima had been her boyfriend. 

He stood up, making his way over to where Stiles’ cake was, and cut himself another thick wedge, licking his lips as the scent of the sugar and frosting hit his taste buds again. “Mmh.”

“It’s awesome, right?” Scott grinned at him, wiping the sweat from his brow, shirt wrinkled from the mock fighting. Stiles had flopped down on the carpet, pretending to be dead as Malia offered a critique of his fighting skills, even as Kira and Lydia howled with laughter. “You having a good night?”

“Mmh hmm.” Liam nodded, his mouth crammed with cake. “Um, mmph!”

“It’s the sugar,” Scott explained, sucking a dollop of frosting off his thumb. “Werewolves sometimes have really strong sugar cravings. Derek never told me about it, he probably uses anger to get over it, but about a week after I turned, I ate an entire sheet cake!”

“So, is that why you helped Stiles with the birthday cake?”

“Yup!” Scott grinned at him, “Plus, I got to lick up Stiles’ creamy frosting afterwards!”

“Uh...” Liam stared at him, flushing, not sure why Scott was being so chatty. “Well, I suppose that explains a lot.”

“Yeah?” The werewolf cocked a brow at him. 

“I, um, I found Stiles’ hidden candy stash.”

“You didn’t?!” Scott smirked, his eyes bright as he started to laugh. “All of it? There’s like an entire drawer!”

“Did you…” Liam sighed. “Crap, so now two werewolves have eaten all his candy? Maybe I can replace it before he notices?”

“Mmh, not likely.” The Alpha gripped his shoulder affectionately and took a deep draught of JD-laced soda. “But he really does love you, cos otherwise he’d have said something.”

“Awesome.” The younger werewolf muttered, taking his cake back to sit on the couch, watching out of the corner of his eye as Scott devoured two handfuls of Maltesers and chased it with the entire bowl of Gummy Bears. _Maybe it’s just an Alpha thing…_

 

Stiles kissed Liam’s cheek softly as the clock over the fireplace chimed one after midnight. “Hey pup, everyone’s gone home.”

“Yeah, I know.” He smiled at his boyfriend, closing the door after Malia and Lydia. “We did just watch Scott empty all the candy bowls into a shopping bag.”

“When he’s not fighting monsters, Scott has other priorities.” Stiles laughed, stretching his arms above his head. “Such as enjoying the fact he’s never going to get fat!”

“Yeah, werewolves do kinda have awesome bodies,” Liam smirked at him, and pulled up the front of his t-shirt to illustrate his point, dragging a hand across his abs and stomach. Stiles’ scent was already heavy with arousal, and Liam had noticed that he hadn’t drunk a lot, even as Scott kept pressing him to have more. His grin got wider when Stiles reached out to mimic Liam’s action. “I’m about ready for my present now, Stiles.”

“Yeah, me too.” He smiled and cupped Liam’s face, tilting it towards him as he leaned in for a deeper kiss. “Let’s go upstairs.”


	73. Liam's Birthday Party Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The following chapter contains explicit sexual content, but no plot development, feel free to skip if you don’t want smut.

Liam lay on the bed, wearing nothing but his trunks, red and white stars on a sea of blue. He felt the fabric strain, swearing for a moment that he heard it rip, but dismissing the thoughts when Stiles returned from the bathroom, his shirt unbuttoned, and belt left open. “Mmh.” 

“I mightn’t be a werewolf, but I’m pretty sure you must smell really horny right now!” Stiles laughed quietly, his eyes sparkling in the soft lighting. He let his gaze wander down Liam’s muscular body, feeling his own cock throb as Stiles stared at Liam’s bulge. “I was gonna suggest we make out a little but-”

“Are you kidding me? That’s all we’ve been doing the past two weeks!” Liam glared at him, a faint whine entering his voice. “I need your dick in me now!”

“Uh, steady on there, cowboy.” Stiles grinned, pushing down his pants and stepping out of them. “You followed my instructions to get yourself ready, right?”

“Yes, earlier.” Liam muttered, blushing suddenly. “Did you ask Scott about…it?”

“Took some careful diplomacy, but yeah, I managed to get it out of him.” Stiles nodded, “When we were decorating the cake he got kinda distracted by the extra tub of frosting I _accidentally_ bought.”

“I don’t care about your mind games, is it true or not?!”

“It’s true.” Stiles smirked at his impatient tone. “You’re immune from STDs, congratulations!”

“So, does that mean we can…like in that video we watched?” Liam was flushing again, and Stiles pulled off his shirt, sitting on the bed next to him. He reached over and kissed his boyfriend’s cheek. “If you want, but it might be a bit messy.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not going to spell it out for you, Liam,” He grinned again, hand fondling the head of his cock through his underwear. “Tell you what, I’ll put one on while I’m in you, and then you can fuck me bareback another time, ok?”

“Oh, ok.” Liam nodded after a moment of staring at Stiles’ body. He was comfortable being half-naked around him now, and even in the locker room nudity wasn’t a big thing, but this was different. It felt more intimate, more personal. He glanced at Stiles’ face. “Have you ever actually done this before? Like, I know you said Scott kept showing up the other times, but you ever manage to get around him?”

“Uh, yeah, actually, once.” Stiles hesitated, “So, last year, before the darach and the Alpha pack and all that drama, actually just before Jackson left; me, him, and Lydia were on the debate team together.”

“You?”

“Don’t look so surprised!” He shoved Liam playfully, the werewolf sitting up to listen to him. “Anyway, with everything that had happened before that, we only debated once or twice; lost to Hill Valley, crushed Lakefield though, and then we were up against this team from Oak Ridge High.”

“They have a good enough lacrosse team.” Liam nodded along.

“Yeah, they do actually.” Stiles shrugged, smirking. “But, uh, it was the captain of the gymnastics team that I was gonna be getting to see in action!”

“What?”

“Don’t be jealous, Liam, you asked me.” He paused, but his boyfriend just nodded. “So, anyway, this guy, Connor, was on the debate team too, I actually thought he and the captain were together, but, uh, that happened later, apparently. But there I am, in Oak Ridge, and he’s got my full attention, complete with gooey eyes and dreamy smile!”

“Ugh, get to the good part.” Liam grumbled, tugging on his still hard cock. “Was he hot?”

“Oh, yeah! A little shorter than me, muscular as fuck though; really nice arms, pecs, not super-ripped, but built, you know?” He smirked when Liam just nodded. “You’ve got the perfect build, don’t worry. So, we debate, I fumble my words because for the first time ever, a really hot guy is actually looking back at me the same way I was looking at him. Lydia was furious since we totally lost, but luckily Jackson was there to soak up her rage, haha.”

“So, you and Connor just did it right there?!”

“Well, in his car, yeah.” Stiles laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. “He came right up to me afterwards, totally lied and said I spoke well, so I complimented him, and flirted a little. We really hit it off and he straight up asked me out.”

“What?” Liam stared at him, incensed. “I had to wait weeks and you did it with this guy without even going on a date!”

“Hey, hey,” Stiles waved his hands, “It wasn’t like that…exactly. So much supernatural bullshit had been going on that I didn’t even think it through, I just kinda grabbed him outside the auditorium and started making out. He didn’t complain, even offered his car for it.”

“Ok,” Liam nodded, reaching inside his underwear, unable to stop himself feeling turned on as he imagined Stiles and the gymnast kissing and feeling each other up. “Then what?”

“Dude had a pretty sweet Land Cruiser-”

“Stiles!”

“Uh, sorry.” He smirked wider, flicking his eyes up and down Liam’s aroused body. “It was a warm summer night, he was way over-dressed: his chest was something I could have looked at for years; you could see and feel every single muscle! And then Connor just kinda rolled over, pulled down his shorts and handed me a condom. I thought he was gonna fuck me, but…”

“You weren’t gonna complain, right?” Liam stripped naked altogether and rolled onto his stomach, thrusting against the bed as Stiles described the other guy’s firm ass, his own butt quivering impatiently. “And?”

“And, uh, um,” Stiles lost his train of thought, eyes fixed on Liam’s smooth, flexing ass. “Uh, he, um, well, I was already hard as fuck, and he showed me how to put it on. That should have been embarrassing, but I didn’t think about that until later. Then I just put my cock in his ass and started.”

“Fuck!” Liam grunted, no longer caring that he was openly fantasising in front of his boyfriend. “You’re gonna do that to me, right?!”

“In about five minutes.” Stiles grinned. “I’m having plenty of fun bringing you right to the edge with this story! It’s better than sucking!”

“I wouldn’t last thirty seconds,” Liam growled, eyes flashing yellow once. “Now hurry up and tell me the rest!”

“Hehe, not much to tell, he had some experience before, though, I could tell that right away.” Stiles shrugged, glancing at his bulge. “I’m not huge or anything, and there was a bit of a struggle at first, but five minutes later, the SUV was a’rocking! It was hot and sweaty and so fucking good! Tight, and yet just loose enough that he wasn’t in pain, which is a big consideration, since I’m pretty sure Connor isn’t a werewolf.”

“Pretty sure?” Liam paused mid-way through humping his bed, legs parted and feet in the air. “You think he was?”

“Considering my luck with supernaturals, he was probably some sort of werewolf god! His ass certainly felt heavenly when I came!” Stiles moved around the bed to kneel behind Liam’s butt, throwing his trunks into a corner and placing his hands on his boyfriend’s firm cheeks. The werewolf shivered with excitement when Stiles began massaging his cheeks from side to side, feeling a pleasurable stretch along his crack. “I had the condom on, so it was all good, and then he was grinning at me, saying it was awesome, really great smile actually.”

“You just left him hanging?!”

“What? No, of course not!” Stiles slapped his ass gently. “Sucked him off, not sure why he wanted to be the bottom though; his dick was about the same size as mine, I would’ve-”

“Mmh.” Liam arched his back, holding his breath, claws digging into the duvet cover. “Stop talking.”

“Ah, you’re right there, huh?” Stiles grinned and pushed himself up the bed, crawling over Liam’s back until his hard cock pressed against the werewolf’s firm ass, feeling him quake. He trailed a line of kisses up his neck and licked a strip across Liam’s cheek, pulling back to whisper in his ear. “I bet if I pushed into you right now, you’d be creaming the bed before I could even bottom out!”

“Fuck! Shut up!”

“Level off while I find the lube,” Stiles sucked on Liam’s ear lobe gently. “And then you can experience everything I just described for yourself!”

 

Liam bit his lower lip when Stiles gestured for him to move up the bed, suddenly nervous. What if this was a bad idea? What if he messed up and Stiles didn’t want to be with him anymore? What if-

“Liam, you ok?”

“Um, yeah.”

Stiles stopped tearing open the foil packet and looked at him. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. It’s meant to be fun, there’s not meant to be any pressure.”

“I know, I just, I’ve never gone this far before, Stiles.” Liam blinked when his boyfriend took his hand and moved closer, cupping his face with his other hand and kissing him softly. “Mmh.”

“We’ll go slow until you want to go fast.” Stiles murmured as they broke apart. He glanced down Liam’s chest, smirking when he saw the werewolf’s cock hard and leaking. “Well, at least one part of you is eager!”

“I’m not scared.” Liam replied, still holding onto him. “It’s just…you’ll be still here after, right?”

“Not planning on disappearing anytime soon, Liam.” Stiles pecked him on the lips and pulled away. “But hey, that’d be a pretty cool party trick!”

“Ugh.” Liam groaned, rolling his eyes. “Werewolves not enough for ya, Stiles?”

“Mmh, sure.” He returned to his former position between Liam’s legs and grabbed the bottle of lube. “I’m just thinking of all the pervy stuff you could do being invisible!”

“What, like-” Liam started, before breaking off with a gasp when Stiles placed a lubed finger against his asshole. “Oh man!”

“My finger isn’t even in you, yet.” Stiles grinned widely as Liam’s hole flexed around the digit and he writhed on the bed. “Just wait until _I’m_ in you!”

“I can’t! Hurry up!” Liam panted, reaching down to pull his legs back, presenting his hole to Stiles. “I don’t care about the fingering, I did it earlier, and I’ll heal, just hurry!”

“Ok, ok, no need to whine, pup.” Stiles finished opening the condom, rolling it on and shuffled forwards on his knees. He paused, lining his cock up with Liam’s ass, and waited until his boyfriend stopped shivering, looking him in the eyes. “Here we go, if it hurts, just tell me, ok?”

“Ok!” Liam nodded vigorously and arched his head back when the cool tip of Stiles cock pushed against his hole, slipping through the ring of muscle, stars exploding behind his closed eyes. “Oh! Oh! Oh!”

“That’s it, nearly there.” Stiles grunted, leaning forward as the entirety of his length slipped inside Liam’s ass. He stopped when he bottomed out, panting at the tightness all around his cock, Liam was barely breathing, but Stiles grinned as he watched his boyfriend’s cock dribble precum all over his naval. “Liam?” He whispered, “I’m gonna start moving now, you ok?”

“Mmh!” Liam groaned, unable to form words as the full, perfect sensation washed over him and made his cock tingle. His ass clenched around Stiles’ cock, which seemed to be a good thing, as he heard the older teenager whimper and buck against him instinctively. Stiles was moving backwards slowly, the pain slipping away as his enhanced healing soothed the ache. Liam was getting used to the feeling, and looked down at Stiles, catching his grin before his boyfriend thrust into him a little harder and faster than before. His cock connected with something inside him, and Liam yelled in pleasure, his legs spreading wider, and before he knew what was happening, his cock was spraying cum all over his chest and pecs and face. “Fuck!”

“Damn, Liam!” Stiles stopped mid-stroke, staring as Liam’s cock continued to fountain cum everywhere. “I knew you were pent up, but that’s insane!”

“Oh, man! Oh, man! Oh, man! Oh, man! Oh, Stiles, fuck, that’s, don’t stop!” Liam panted hard, words falling from his lips as he impaled his ass on Stiles cock, trying to get the same sensation again, and groaning needily when the feeling sparked in his ass. “Ahhh!”

“Pretty good, right?!” Stiles grinned at him and continued pushing in once more. “Well, I guess the good news is that now you’ve had that pressure release we can really get going, right?”

“I guess?” Liam dabbed at his chest as Stiles bucked into him. “Shouldn’t I wipe this off first?”

“If you want to, I think you look pretty hot covered in cum!” Stiles winked but reached back to grab Liam’s trunks. “Um, here?”

“Uh, no, actually, if it turns you on, I can wait.” He smirked and let his head roll back, riding the wave of joyous pleasure that Stiles kept pushing into him. His cock was getting stiff again, and Liam glanced down, feeling it spring fully hard when he saw Stiles’ face; eyes hooded, lips parted, just a slight sheen across his pale skin from the exertion of plunging back and forth into his ass. His gaze wandered lower along his boyfriend’s body; smooth and toned, muscles standing out more clearly as Stiles used all his strength to fuck him. Liam wasn’t paying as much attention as before to his ass, even though he knew it felt good, there was just something so perfect about Stiles in that moment and he tried desperately to catch it, and hold onto it, but all too soon, it had flittered past as his cock was tingling again. “Fuck! Stop!”

“What?” Stiles rocked to a halt, looking at him, concerned. “What is it? Am I hurting you?”

“No, no, it’s great, I’m just…close again.” Liam flicked his eyes up to meet Stiles’. “Can we change position? There’s one I saw on a Pornhub video that looked really fun.”

“Um, ok,” Stiles grunted and pulled out of Liam’s ass, glancing down and jerking himself off slowly. “Tell me about it.”

“Well,” Liam got up onto his knees, pointing at where he had been lying. “You get on your back, and then I kinda, um…”

“Ride me?” Stiles grinned, and flopped down on his ass, his cock sticking straight up. He beckoned Liam closer. “Hop on, cowboy!”

“You’re the worst.” Liam muttered, but shuffled over to him, getting into a sitting position, his legs on either side of Stiles’ waist, his hand joining his boyfriend’s on his cock. “Ok.” He nodded and lowering himself slowly, feeling the same sensation of pressure and pleasure conflicting together as Stiles’ dick slipped back inside his hole. “Oh, yeah.”

“Mmmh, that’s it, Liam!” Stiles grinned, his balls drawing up as Liam lowered his ass onto his cock. “A little more, and…in!” They stayed still for a few minutes, Stiles gazing hungrily at Liam’s muscular body and hard cock, cum falling from his chest to drip onto Stiles’ naval. He didn’t complain though, reaching out to gently tease the younger teenager’s cock. Liam smirked lazily, placing his hands on Stiles’ pectoral muscles, rubbing them and extending his fingers to provide better grip, Liam taking the first steps this time.

“Ah!” He moaned, eyes partly closed, his ass clenching around Stiles’ cock, somehow feeling fuller and thicker than before. The rhythm was easy to get into, Stiles trusting upwards, Liam letting gravity do its work and impaling himself on his boyfriend’s cock harder and faster each time. His butt cheeks were being massaged by Stiles again, his fingers splayed across the flesh, tips reaching into his crack to try and pull it further apart. Liam was moaning non-stop now, staring at Stiles, their eyes connected in this unending pleasure. “Oh! Ah! Yeah, oh, yeah!”

“Liam!” Stiles gasped, leaning forward as the werewolf hunched over, kissing him hard and fast, their tongues touching and then slipping sideways, trailing across each other’s chins. He laughed, and Liam smirked, before they both returned to rapturous moaning, Stiles was thrusting deep and wildly into him now, Liam practically bouncing up and down on Stiles’ cock, his ass clenching every time Stiles tried to pull out, making him yell louder. Their eyes stayed locked on, saying everything their mouths couldn’t, hands caressing each other’s arms and muscles, Liam arching his back, finally reaching down to begin touching himself. “You’re close again?”

“Yeah, you gotta cum at the same time!” Liam panted, his hand slipping over his precum slick cock. “Fucking pound me, Stiles!”

“As you command!” Stiles grinned, thrusting upwards with more determined strokes as Liam shuddered and rocked back and forth on his cock. “Yeah! Oh, Liam, yes!”

“I’m close! I’m close! I’m close! I’m close!” Liam whispered in a rush, Stiles’ cock filling him so completely, heavy balls bouncing against his ass, just waiting for the moment to unload. “C’mon!” He hunched forward suddenly, hand pulling Stiles’ head towards him, their lips colliding messily, barely able to kiss as they continued to fuck ceaselessly, Liam’s other hand still working his cock furiously. “Uh, I…I can’t, I can’t hold back, Stiles!”

“Then go for it!” Stiles thrust into him one last time, finally feeling his balls fire and cum fill the condom as he pulled Liam closer to him, the werewolf’s cum spilling onto their bodies, as they passionately made out. “Mmh!”

 

“Ah! Wow,” Liam gasped, grunting as he rolled off Stiles, his chest heaving and skin slick with sweat. He waited for Stiles to wrap the used condom in toilet paper and frowned when he saw his boyfriend place the package in his trouser pocket. “Please don’t tell me you’re keeping that for later.”

“What? Eww!” Stiles stuck out his tongue at him and shook his head. “You shouldn’t flush them down the toilet and I’ll toss it when I get home, my Dad won’t be looking, but I figure your step-father is suspicious enough to go through the trash after the party. That is the last thing we want him to find!”

“Oh, yeah.” Liam nodded slowly. “Makes sense, thanks.”

“Scott took the evidence of the booze with him, so we’re clear on that side.” Stiles added, padding back to the bed, now dressed his underwear. “I’ve my alarm set for five, so I should be outta here before your folks come back tomorrow morning.”

“I wish you didn’t have to sneak around like this.” Liam muttered, climbing into the bed, but remaining naked. “Pretty sure they know we do more than just kiss each other good night!”

“Hmm.” Stiles shrugged noncommittedly, slipping in beside him, smiling as Liam snuggled against him. “You ok?”

“Yeah, I just, I’m glad you didn’t just leave.” Liam whispered when Stiles reached over him to turn off the lights. “That’s kinda what I was afraid of.”

“What, that once I got a piece of your sweet butt, I was gonna dump you?”

“Well,” Liam was able to see Stiles clearly even though it was pitch black. “All those other guys…”

“Might have actually worked out if Scott wasn’t such a cockblock.” Stiles shrugged and hugged him tighter. “It doesn’t matter though, that’s the past: you and me? We’re the future, Liam.”

“Good to know.” He mumbled sleepily, “I don’t ever want there to be anyone else but you, Stiles.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was going to be a Liam topping Stiles scene in this chapter, but I’m actually going to hold onto that for another chapter later down the line. They don’t have to do everything their first time with each other, plus I’m not sure that I even want them to be versatile. Back to normal drama and fun in the next few chapters!


	74. Summer Glories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is beach-based fluff and smut in this chapter; the smut coming at the end, along with Liam...

“You got snacks, right?” Liam looked at Stiles as he sat into the front seat, Brett and Mason already next to each other in the back of the Jeep. “For us, I mean, I saw Scott with that cooler full of chocolate just for himself.”

“Haha, yeah, don’t worry, pup, I got everything we need.” Stiles grinned at him.

“Pup?” Brett smirked, and Liam flushed.

“Shut up!”

“Err, sorry, forgot.” Stiles muttered, ducking his head as Liam glared at him. “Mason already knows, and Brett isn’t even your nemesis anymore, so what’s the big deal?”

“I was your _nemesis?_ ” Brett grinned even wider as they reversed out the driveway. “Damn, Liam, and here I thought we just had a little friction!”

“Just drive, Stiles.” Liam’s brows furrowed as his eyes bored a hole through the dashboard. The young werewolf jumped slightly when Scott roared past them on his bike, cooler strapped on the back and Kira clinging precariously onto him. “Ah!”

“I keep telling Scott to get a sidecar,” Stiles sighed. “But he never listens.”

“You got any tunes, Stiles?” Mason squeezed into the space between the two seats, Brett moving back to allow him more room. “Or is this rust-”

“Hey! Don’t you call Roscoe rusty!” Stiles cut across him. “I got one real angry werewolf right beside me, and you bet I’ll use him!”

“Pretty sure you already have.” Brett muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, making Mason snigger even as Liam turned bright red.

“So, music?” Stiles nodded furiously. “Uh, you can use the cigarette lighter to plug into.”

“Great, thanks.” Mason moved forward, grinning as Brett grabbed his legs and he inserted the adaptor inside, fumbling for a moment before the pulsing, energetic beats of the EDM mix he had downloaded for them began sweeping through the Jeep and out the open windows into the summer heat that blanketed Beacon Hills. “Awesome!” He sank back beside Brett, head bobbing along to the music, their hands entwined. 

“You ok?” Stiles glanced at Liam, his boyfriend looking out the window as they passed the town’s sign. “It’s only about thirty minutes to the beach; blue skies, warm sand, cool water, you’ve been looking forward to this all week.”

“I know.” 

“So…?”

“Nothing,” Liam replied moodily, inclining his head at Mason and Brett. “I’m fine.”

“You will be, just wait.” Stiles said softly. They didn’t speak anymore, and he concentrated on navigating a highway full of tourists and lousy drivers. “Can you believe that guy?!” He glared in the rear-view mirror. “Learn to drive, jackass! Ever heard of an indicator?! It’s next to the shift paddle, numb-nuts!”

“Stiles…” Liam laughed at him, his embarrassment forgotten when Stiles actually overtook the slower car in front of them using the slow lane, keeping their speed even in order to lower his window and shout at the slack-jawed middle-aged woman staring back at them. “Oh my god, _don’t!_ ”

“Do you even know what the fast line is for?!”

“Ugh…” Liam slid down in his seat, hiding his face as the woman shouted back at them in a language he didn’t understand.

“Yeah, whatever!” Stiles roared at her, and put his foot down, accelerating rapidly, catching up to Scott and Kira ahead of him. He smirked at Liam as the werewolf shook his head at him. “What?”

“Are you insane? There could’ve been anyone in that car! She could’ve had a gun!”

“Yeah, but I got me at least one werewolf I could’ve deployed!” Stiles laughed, gesturing at the backseat with his thumb where Mason and Brett were making out shamelessly, practically climbing into each other’s laps. Their beach clothes were already skimpy to begin with, but Liam stared as Brett just ripped off his shirt, biceps bulging and tanned abs rippling, the werewolf using his claws to shred the bright yellow vest Mason was wearing.

“Uh, Stiles?”

“Oh, right, hang on.” He slowed down slightly, the needle tapping ninety and spared one eye for the lane in front of him as the other was glued to the action that was unfolding in his backseat. “Uh, guys, this is very distracting, but, um, please don’t spill cum on my seats; roll down the window or swallow!”

“That wasn’t what I meant…” Liam groaned, turned fully, unable to look away even as his now-shirtless best friend was bucking furiously against Brett’s thigh, the smell of hormones and lust making his own cock rise whether he wanted it to or not. Thankfully, Stiles swerved suddenly, and Liam’s attention was pulled back to his boyfriend screaming more obscenities out the window at a family of six in a people-carrier. _Chill day at the beach, yeah, this is not exactly what I had in mind…_

 

“So, how come Lydia and Malia aren’t here?” Scott asked them as he unpacked the bodyboards from the back of Stiles’ Jeep. The crash of waves echoed behind the group, and Brett and Mason had already run into the surf, cooling down after their steamy ride. “I thought Malia said she wanted to come?”

“Yeah, but Lydia refused to let her keep wearing that one outfit she had on all last semester.” Stiles shrugged, folding his arms across his bare chest, hot sun heating his back and neck. “They’ve gone shopping, or rather, Lydia has dragged Malia shopping!”

“Hahaha,” Kira laughed, pulling on a wide-brimmed straw hat. “I almost wish I had stayed to witness that.”

“Really?” Scott frowned at her, handing Liam the last cooler from the trunk and stripping off his shirt. “But today is your last day before you go to New York, I thought you wanted to spend it with me since you’re leaving earlier?”

“Oh, yeah, of course!” She grinned at him and kissed his cheek. “C’mon, let’s find a spot to put down the towels!”

Stiles smiled at Liam, putting his arm around the younger teen’s sun-kissed shoulders as they stood silently together, looking out across the vast, empty, expanse of white sand and unbelievably blue water, the late morning sun beating down on them. “It’s all ours! No one ever comes here with the beach around the headland having actual facilities. So, you want to join them, or hit the ocean first?”

“Don’t mind,” Liam leaned into him with a grin, walking them slowly forward. “We’ve got the whole day ahead of us, and it’s one of those magical summer ones that never ends!”

“I wish,” Stiles murmured, nodding at Brett and Mason playing in the surf. “It’s getting hot, let’s go cool down.”

“Not sure those two have cooled down since they hooked up.” Liam muttered, breaking away from Stiles, but flashing him a grin. “Race you!”

“What? Get back here!” Stiles glared at Liam’s smooth, muscular back as he sprinted into the waves. “No fair, you can’t use werewolf powers!”

 

After an hour of playing with the three of them, Stiles shook his head and backed out of the ocean. “Sorry, guys, I burn up really easily, gonna go and put more sunblock on.” He grinned as Liam’s expression became conflicted, allowing Brett to easily dunk him when the werewolf stood still.

“Haha! Gotta keep moving, Dunbar!”

“Gah! Get back here, Talbot!” Liam popped up behind Mason and threw his friend with ease into the deeper water, Mason laughing loudly when Brett dove towards him in mock heroism.

“I’m coming, my love!”

“Haha, idiots.” Stiles murmured affectionately, striding up the beach to where Kira and Scott had set up camp, cooler-boxes of food and soda surrounding the Alpha, and towels laid out for all six of them. He threw himself down with a contented sigh, sand crusting his feet and legs, board shorts dripping water. “Thanks.” Stiles nodded at his best friend when Scott tossed him a towel and the bottle of sunblock. After patting his chest and shoulders dry, the sun had chased away the remaining drops from his skin, Stiles took up the bottle, his eyes still on Liam, Mason, and Brett.

“They’ll be ok, dude, you can relax.” Scott said, following his gaze. “We’ve had nothing bad happen for almost three months now, what are you afraid of?”

“Sharks,” Stiles muttered darkly, squirting lotion on his hand and rubbing it over his arms and shoulders. 

“Haha, pretty sure Brett and Liam could kick a shark’s ass if it was stupid enough to try and take any of us!” The Alpha got up on his knees, shuffling over to help Stiles. “Give me the bottle, I got your back.”

“Thanks.” Stiles rolled his neck, still not taking his eyes off his boyfriend. He opened the cooler next to him, his hand finding nothing but ice. “Um, Scott?”

“Oh, yeah…I got hungry.” The werewolf’s stomach rumbled behind him and he finished massaging the sunblock in, wiping his hands on Stiles’ abs and pecs. “Sorry.”

“That’s why I brought spares.” He smirked and glanced at his best friend’s guilty expression. “It’s cool, bro.”

“Good, um, Kira’s asleep, so maybe you have enough for her?”

“Haha, what made you work up such an appetite?” Stiles tore off the corner of his sandwich, turning slightly, so the sun hit his back and he could look at Scott directly. “I mean, the sea air usually does it for me.”

“You guys were in the water for a long time, I got bored.” Scott protested, playing with the cords of his shorts. “Kira didn’t want to go in, so I stayed with her.”

“And?”

“Well, you know…”

“Huh,” Stiles smirked, half-wishing he had Liam’s enhanced sense of smell so he could’ve figured out that Scott wasn’t ridiculously greedy, just horny. “So, that was why you guys were gone?”

“You noticed?”

“I notice everything!” He smirked as Scott rolled his eyes. “Must be something about going to the beach that brings out the horndog in everyone!”

“Yup!” Scott returned his smirk. “We all get half-naked, or closer, that’s enough of a turn-on to get me going! Hey, so, there’s no one else here, do you think we can just head into the water, and Kira will be ok?”

“Apart from the fact she’s a badass Kitsune who would easily take down whoever tried to grab her?” Stiles shrugged, lying on his stomach. “You go, I’ll stay with her.”

“Sure?”

“Yeah, I just ate, it’s cool.” 

“Ok, thanks, Stiles!” Scott grinned at him and stood up, stretching his arms above his head, the rounded tops of his ass cheeks showing, before he charged down the beach with a turn of speed only an Alpha could possess, leaping the final feet to splash down into the water next to a surprised Liam. 

Stiles smirked, watching them include Scott in their game, the werewolf joining in with unconcealed eagerness, launching Liam from the water like a missile, firing his Beta upwards, Brett copying him with Mason, and before long they were competing with each other for height and distance. “Haha, gotta try that later.”

 

Liam pushed the sand into a wall as Mason dug out the sandcastle’s moat, glancing every now and then at the diagram he had drawn into the firm sand next to them. Stiles, Brett, and Scott had convinced Kira to test the waters, splashing her a few times until the Kitsune fixed them with a frosty stare. “I swear the next one who tries to dunk me is going to regret it, I’ll fry all your asses!”

“Woah, woah, ok!” Stiles backed away, holding up his hands, laughing when Brett grabbed him around his waist, the strong werewolf managing to flip him with ease, before diving on top of him. “Fuck, Brett, no, no, no!”

Liam sat up, staring into the water. He glanced at Mason. “Dude, your boyfriend better not be feeling up mine.”

“Get your mind outta the gutter, Liam, and concentrate on the curtain wall, it’s crooked!” Mason pointed at the offending sand line, throwing a look over his shoulder as Brett picked Stiles up again and tossed him to Scott like a football. “Relax, dude, they’re just playing.”

“Yeah.” He frowned, but then shrugged, turning back to the sprawling creation they had spent the afternoon building. “Are you gonna fill the moat using aqueducts or buckets?”

“Aqueducts, I’m not a barbarian!”

“Ok, ok, seriously, enough guys!” Stiles laughed, feeling Brett’s hand slide down his pecs, splayed fingers gliding across his wet skin with ease, stopping just shy of his waistband. He felt the familiar stirring in his shorts as the werewolf just held onto him, standing close enough in the chest-high water that Stiles knew Brett was hard too. Scott was staring at them with a half-smirk, Kira nearer the shore. “I think, uh, we should get back to the others.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Brett muttered, not moving until Stiles pulled away from him. He frowned, cheeks flushed. “Sorry.”

“Hey, it’s cool,” Stiles patted his shoulder blade and grinned, “I’ll take that as a compliment, but we better help our boyfriends finish that monstrosity of a sandcastle before the tide comes in and washes it away.”

Liam looked up as Stiles knelt in the sand next to him. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Stiles kissed his lips quickly as Brett did the same to Mason. He nodded at the wall. “That’s pretty impressive!”

“Yeah, I just finished the escape tunnel!” Liam pointed at it proudly, standing up to step over the “curtain wall” and helped Stiles into the center of the sandcastle. “Mason is building the aqueduct to funnel the water into the moat, he reckons we should have a few hours before the tide takes it away to enjoy the effect.”

“Guy should be an engineer.” Stiles commented, hugging Liam to his wet body, the bulge in his shorts pressing into his boyfriend’s back and making him smirk. He wrapped his arms around Liam’s front and kissed his neck. “You got time for a break?”

“Mmh, not really if we want to finish this on schedule.” Liam smirked, lightly gripping Stiles’ forearms and running his hands over his warm skin. “Hmm, later?”

“Fine…” Stiles sighed dramatically, his eyes meeting Brett’s, the other werewolf lounging on his side next to Mason. _Oh fuck!_ He stared as Brett smirked and reached down, clearly massaging the head of his semi through the wet, clingy fabric of his shorts. Liam didn’t seem to notice until Stiles bucked unconsciously against him.

“Stop, jeeze, you’re as bad as they were this morning!” Liam laughed and pulled away from him to kneel in the sand, patting it down. “I’m going to start on the keep, Mason.”

“Cool, a few more minutes and I’ll have the water flowing.”

“Hey Liam,” Brett called out, his eyes gleaming mischievously. “You like my birthday present?”

“Uh, yeah.” Liam flushed bright red, glaring at him. “The cup fits just fine thank you!”

“What?” Stiles frowned, chuckling as Mason stopped digging and looked between the werewolves. 

“You got him a protective cup?!”

“Yeah, I noticed in our practice session a few weeks ago it was a little tight.” Brett shrugged like it was no big deal. “Either that or you were really horny?”

“I had reason to be.” Liam muttered, glowering at Stiles. “But it was tight, I’ve, uh, _grown_ since last year.”

“Damn!” Mason breathed out, eyes wide.

“I was gonna buy another cup before next season.” The werewolf added, heat spreading down his neck to flush across his collarbones and chest. “You didn’t have to do that, Brett.”

“I figured it could have symbolic meaning.” He winked at Liam, “We’re friends now, you protected my pack, I’ll protect your…package!”

“Ugh!” Mason and Stiles groaned at the terrible joke. 

“You’re the worst.” Liam sighed, letting a heavy silence fall among them until he looked over at the moat, seeing it fill with water. “Hey, Mason, look!”

“Awesome! Get building that keep!” Mason ordered him, glancing at Stiles and Brett, “And you two, either help out or get out!”

“You wanna head back into the water, Stiles?” Brett smiled at him as they left the friends to their construction, Scott and Kira walking down the beach away from them, hand in hand as the sun came ever lower towards the horizon. “Play around a bit?”

“Um, tempting.” Stiles smirked, seeing Brett’s brows quirk suggestively. “But there’s a few hours of heat left in that sun, I want to work on my tan, yours is pretty solid. I feel really pasty next to you!”

“Pretty sure I can help with that.” Brett lowered his voice, pointing at the sand near Liam and Mason, their stuff having been moved earlier. He waited for Stiles to lie down on his back, grinning at the bulge in the older guy’s shorts, but catching his uncertain expression. “Don’t worry, nothing is going to happen, except maybe enough of a distraction to get Mason behind those dunes!”

“Haha, you’re a horndog after my own heart!” Stiles grinned at him, resting his head on the warm sand and closing his eyes when sunblock was squirted on his abs, Brett’s strong hands massaging it into his skin moments later, fingers spreading it over his stomach and pecs, gliding across his upper chest. He lifted off for a moment before hands were back on the hot flesh, fingers slicking over his muscles to linger and perk his nipples, before sweeping back down to swipe a hand just under the waistband of his shorts. “Mmh.” Stiles suppressed the moan, opening his eyes to see Liam smirking at him. “Uh…”

“You didn’t even notice the change?” The werewolf folded his arms, nodding at the dunes behind him. “Yeah, Mason saw you guys immediately, and Brett was only too happy to drop you, so he could drop a load in-”

“Liam!” Stiles cut across him and pulled his boyfriend down on top of him. “Don’t be a potty mouth, even if your jealousy is pretty hot.”

“Yeah?” He bucked against Stiles, glancing left and right. “Huh, everyone’s gone, do you think we could…?”

“Naughty Liam, I love it!” Stiles grinned widely and crushed his mouth against Liam’s, sliding his hands down his boyfriend’s muscular, sun-heated back and into his shorts, grasping his butt cheeks as Liam groaned and flicked his tongue into Stiles’ mouth. They made out passionately for a few minutes, Liam grinding against his shorts, their hard cocks trapped until he reached in-between their bodies to untie the cords and yank Stiles’ shorts down, freeing his own dick at the same time. “Ah!”

“Yeah,” Liam moaned softly, sucking on Stiles’ neck just hard enough to leave a mark, the edge of his teeth nipping him as the older teenager arched up, pulling Liam’s ass down at the same time. His boyfriend’s torso was slick from the still-wet sunblock and Liam enjoyed the frictionless glide of his own body bucking against the smooth, slippery skin. Stiles had slipped a few fingers into his crack and was teasing the outside of his hole, just enough for Liam to grind harder against him. Precum was slicking their cocks and Stiles spread his legs wider, allowing the werewolf unexpected access to his ass. “Are you...?”

“Don’t question it, just flow with what you feel.” Stiles whispered, his pulse hammering as Liam grabbed the bottle of sunblock and popped the cap, “If you want it, take it, I trust you.”

“I’m not sure.”

“Well, don’t use the sunblock, it’s gonna really burn.” Stiles smirked at him as Liam frowned. “Scott brought oil since he’s already pretty dark, but I don’t want to move to find it.”

“I’m leaking a lot.” Liam flushed as a thought struck him, “It’s hot, you’re sweating, and I can, um, take the pain.”

“Ok.” Stiles kissed him again, still gripping his ass and flexing his fingers against Liam’s entrance. “Only if _you_ want to, though.”

“I do.” Liam nodded and smirked at him, one hand finding Stiles’ hole, tight, but not as clenched as he expected, fingers pushing in, simultaneously stretching him and sapping his pain. It was an odd sensation, his pulse spiking, cock drooling as Stiles moaned and arched against him, driving his ass harder onto Liam’s two fingers, and yet the werewolf could feel the spiky, prickly pain he was taking. “Ok, I’m not sure I can last looking at you like this!”

“Haha, yeah.” Stiles smiled lazily and pulled his hands up to Liam’s shoulders, urging him closer, the werewolf angling just right, his fingers pulling out and causing Stiles to groan needily. “Fuck!”

“About to,” Liam moaned, head bowed as he pushed hard against Stiles’ hole, his fingers remaining close to the cleft to siphon the sting away. “Ah!”

“Argh!” Stiles gasped, wrapping his arms tight around Liam and hauling him fully inside his ass in one motion, blacking out for a moment as his boyfriend lost focus and a fiery lance of agony shot through him. 

“I gotchu, I gotchu!” Liam whispered over and over as he took the pain away, kissing Stiles’ lips and cheeks until the older teenager responded to him, hands on his back, gripping him hard. He was moving already, unable to stop even though the pain was still there, stinging him each time Liam pulled his cock out, though fading slightly when he pushed back in, fresh precum slicking his way into Stiles’ unbelievably tight ass. “Fuck, yes!” Liam groaned, his hands grabbing Stiles’ shoulders and using them as leverage to rabbit in and out of him at speed, Stiles moaning for him to go faster, harder, deeper. The werewolf complied, his mouth too far to kiss Stiles’ lips, so he settled for sucking on the guy’s hard nipples, tongue swirling around the nubs of sensitive flesh before he left a messy trail along Stiles’ pecs to swap nipple and suckle greedily on that one.

“Mmh, don’t stop, Liam, don’t stop!” Stiles groaned, not caring if his friends saw or if no one did. He was completely lost in the pleasure that Liam was giving him, not feeling pain anymore as his boyfriend thrust inside him with long, eager strokes, his own cock grasped in his hand, jerking off furiously, knowing neither of them could last at this pace. “That’s it, Liam! That’s it, Liam! That’s it, Liam!” Stiles repeated over and over, arching his ass and spreading his legs wide on the warm sand, sun beating down on their naked bodies.

“I’m so close!” Liam moaned, licking a stripe down Stiles’ chest, thrusting shortly back and forth as fast as he could, not noticing the small spikes of pain from his boyfriend’s tight hole anymore, groaning when Stiles clenched his ass around his cock. “Gonna cum in you…”

“Yeah, yeah, do it, Liam!” Stiles cried out, feeling his balls tighten and then his cock exploded, cum firing in thick ropes over his stomach and chest, Liam lifting his face away for the first few salvos, but then lowering again to catch the remainder of the thick load on his cheeks and lips. “Oh my god! That’s so hot!”

“Yeah!” Liam grunted, the sensation causing his own cock to spurt cum deep inside Stiles’ ass, coating the tight confines of his hole as the two of them arched into each other. He stretched himself far enough to grab Stiles’ neck and push his lips against his boyfriend’s, eyes closed tight, cum dripping down his face, the rest of the world forgotten as the most intense pleasure he’d ever experienced crashed over him. “Fucking perfect day…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so _that_ just happened. It was not planned; this chapter was just gonna be a fun day at the beach, and then Brett started getting grabby and before I knew it, Liam was topping Stiles! Well, who am I to get in the way of such passion?! Hope you guys enjoyed that, lol.
> 
> On a related note, there’s potential for a spinoff smut story with Brett/Stiles/Liam/Mason coming out of this chapter. It would be exactly like the Liam/Stiles/Mason spinoff from the lacrosse bonfire chapter and in no way contribute to the plot, just be a smutty adventure in an AU to this story. I’m not sure if that’s something you guys would enjoy? Let me know if that’s a yay! I’ll probably do it for myself anyway, but always good to know if it would be welcome.


	75. High Summer

“Ahh!” Stiles sighed contentedly, letting his legs float and his hand trail through the water of the crisp spring-water pool, the liquid cool on his skin. He craned his neck back, smirking as he saw Liam and Scott pause their combat training on the fallen tree trunk above him, the length of wood spanning the width of the pool in the heart of the Beacon Hills Preserve. “Having fun yet, guys?”

“Shut up,” Liam muttered, wiping sweat from his brow as the high summer sun filtered through the leaves to shine down on his and Scott’s shirtless bodies. His shorts were sticking to his ass uncomfortably and Liam wanted to do nothing more than cannonball off the side and dive into that clear, refreshing water. But if he did that, then Scott would win, and the competitive werewolf shook his head, refusing to accept defeat. “Come at me!”

“Relax, Liam, you have to stay calm and controlled in the heat of the moment.” Scott said, smiling at him. “Take a deep breath and-”

“All that chocolate is going to your head!” Liam glared at him. “No one relaxes in the middle of a battle, rawr!” He leapt forward, forcing Scott back and swung at his with his open fist, no claws, only nails scraping over the Alpha’s broad chest. “C’mon!”

“Fine,” Scott muttered, pushing him back with the flat of his palm, pausing when Liam tripped over a loose piece of bark and yelped. “Oh, shit, hey, are you-”

“Yahh!” The Beta jumped up, using Scott’s moment of confusion to grab his arm and kick out with his foot, tripping him up. 

“Fuck!” Scott cried out, hanging grimly onto the side of the trunk, muscles bunching as he tried to pull himself back up. “You gonna give me a hand?”

“I could bite you,” Liam smirked, their roles reversed from the night Scott had turned him. He stood near the edge, hands on his hips. “Are you giving up? Can we finally go swimming?”

“Nah!” Scott pushed his arms down and propelled himself up onto the log again, grinning when he heard Stiles cheer them on from below. “I think we’re giving him too much of a good show to stop.”

“Pretty sure I could give him a show on my own.” Liam muttered, flushing when Scott’s scent spiked into awkwardness. “That wasn’t what I meant!”

“Uh, sure.” The Alpha’s pulse was higher, and Liam was almost certain he could smell the tang of arousal wafting into the air between them. But a second later, Scott charged him, and the werewolf danced backwards, concentrating on his footing instead of whatever might be turning Scott on. 

 

Stiles had flipped onto his stomach and swam back to the other edge of the creek, reaching up to grab his bottle of soda when an almighty crash exploded behind him. “Uhh,” He quickly turned to see Scott grinning at him, neck deep in water. “Guess you lost, huh?”

“More like he threw in the towel!” Liam cried out from above, taking a running leap off the tree trunk. “Incoming!” He grabbed his knees as he jumped high, dropping like a stone to land in the water next to Scott, targeting the deepest part of the pool to avoid breaking his legs. A massive wave swamped out from Liam’s impact, soaking Stiles and forcing Scott backwards. “Awesome!”

“Maybe a bit too awesome?” Stiles smirked as Liam’s shorts drifted by. “I think you ripped them with that jump!”

“Crap.” Liam muttered, reaching under the water to hide his junk from Scott and shuffled towards Stiles. “Did you bring a change?”

“Yeah, you can use my underwear.” Stiles nodded at the bank, swimming out to Scott, letting Liam have some privacy. _Can’t really just ogle him in front of Scott, now, can I?_ “You ok, bro?”

“Yeah, totally.” Scott grinned at him as they floated in front of each other. “You gonna ask me that every few hours?”

“It’s just Kira has been gone for a few weeks, don’t want you to feel lonely or anything.” Stiles gestured towards a rock that protruded out from the edge of the cliff that the tree trunk was balanced on. He grabbed one side and pulled himself out, accepting Scott’s help when the werewolf swam behind him and boosted him up, strong hands on his back. “Thanks. Here.” Stiles extended his hand and Scott smiled, taking his arm, climbing up beside him. 

“It’s cool, Stiles.” Scott nudged his shoulder against his best friend’s, the water dripping off them as they dried on the sun-heated rock. “It’s fun hanging out with you guys, and as much as a pain as Liam is, he makes a good Beta.”

“Uh huh,” Stiles smirked. “Complain all you want, but you love having Liam as your Beta!”

“Yeah, I know,” Scott shrugged, nodding towards the opposite shore where the younger teenager had just climbed out, his bare ass paler than the rest of him wiggling as he searched through Stiles’ bag. “You’ve gone all the way with him, haven’t you?”

“Yeah?” He replied carefully, diverting his thoughts away from Liam’s birthday party and their encounter on the beach. “Is that a…problem?”

“No, of course not.” Scott answered after an awkward delay, “I just, I want you…to be careful, that’s all.”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine, and you did say that werewolves can give or get infections like that, right?” Stiles nudged Scott back when the Alpha just nodded. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

“Uh, I-”

“Hey guys!” Liam swam over, having quickly changed and got back in, Stiles’ white CKs clinging to his more muscular body. He looked up at them as the older teens smirked at each other. “What?”

“You know those are see-through when they’re wet, right?” Stiles laughed at Liam’s expression. “You should’ve took the black ones.”

“They suit you better though.” Liam splashed them, swimming on his back as Stiles and Scott slipped into the water again.

“Why do you even have two pairs of underwear with you?” Scott quirked a brow at him. “Emergencies?”

“Hey, you never know what you might need in this forest, guys,” Stiles glared at them in mock seriousness. “There’s a reason why I carry a flare gun, full change of clothes, spare baseball bat, and Taser in the Jeep! And before either of you start, my Dad gave me the Taser, no need for the eyes, Scott!”

“ _Eyes?_ ” He frowned, confused. “What do you mean?”

“He’s talking about that silent, judgemental stare you give people sometimes.” Liam replied with a smirk. “Must suck being the good guy all the time, huh?!”

“Like you’re such a bad boy!” Scott shoved Liam playfully and spluttered when Stiles splashed him instead. “Hey, you can’t gang up on me, I’m the True Alpha!”

“True Alpha this!” Stiles shouted and jumped out of the water onto Scott’s back, wrapping his legs around his waist and trying to steer him towards Liam. “Dunk him, pup! Even if you’ve got to take me down with him!”

“Rawr!” Liam mock growled and swam furiously towards Scott as the Alpha did his best sea monster impersonation, thrashing around the pool, red eyes glowing, water frothing as his arms whooshed under the surface, stopping Liam from getting to him, until the werewolf dove underwater. Enhanced eyesight allowed him to see Scott clearly even as the sandy bottom of the creak was churned up. He frowned, confused as to why he could catch the Alpha’s scent too. It was just like before, when they were on the tree trunk, but dialled all the way up this time to the point Liam could practically taste Scott’s arousal. The werewolf broke the surface right in front of him, catching his Alpha’s eyes, the gaze no longer playful, it was almost as though Scott was looking at him with fear, as though he had been caught out, but the moment passed, and Scott hugged Liam to his body, diving under, dragging them all down to the bed of the pool.

 

“Gah!” Stiles complained, fountaining water onto Scott’s chest as he recovered on the grassy bank, their bodies drying under the hot sun. “I didn’t actually want to go down with you!”

“Aww, Stiles, you wound me!”

“I’m about to, right, pup?” Stiles replied with a smirk, but Liam was concentrating on Scott, his eyes lidded so the older teenagers wouldn’t notice. “Huh, must have worn him out. Don’t worry, he’s like the Energizer Bunny, he’ll bounce up in a few minutes!”

“Yeah.” Scott mumbled, eyes closing. “Maybe I’ll take a little nap too.”

_Huh,_ Liam frowned at the Alpha. _There’s that change in his scent again, it’s like…crap, why didn’t I see this sooner?!_ He silently gave out to himself, watching when Scott’s hand “accidentally” brushed against Stiles’ arm and stayed there, Liam hearing the spike in Scott’s pulse. _Fuck, Scott is in love with Stiles, and not just horny wolf love, but soppy puppy love! But, hang on, feelings like those don’t just appear overnight, why didn’t make a move when Stiles was single? Hmm…_

 

“Stiles?” Liam asked as they drove slowly back to his house, Scott having sped off to the nearest 7-Eleven once he realized he was out of candy. They had laughed at his expression, the Alpha not even stopping to put on a t-shirt, roaring away shirtless and dripping wet. “Stiles?”

“Hmm? Sorry, tired.” His boyfriend smiled at him. “You ok, pup?”

“Do you think…Scott might be, um, curious?”

“About what?”

“Uh,” Liam flushed, his cheeks reddening despite his tan. “About, err, gay stuff?”

“Huh?” Stiles looked over at him, brows furrowed. “Are you saying you have feelings for Scott or something?”

“No! No, of course not.” The younger teen shook his head quickly. “I think that he has them for you though, and not like, brotherly love, or best friend love, but like, ‘hug you tight and make out with tongue’ kinda love.”

“Hmm.” Stiles smirked as Liam’s voice became panicky. “Is that our kind of love?”

“Maybe.”

“We’ll have to try it out tonight then!” He patted his boyfriend’s knee. “Relax about Scott, I’ve known for a long time that he, well, he’s not a hundred percent straight. But he’s my best friend, I never wanted to put that in danger by letting him know that I know.”

“What? But I only smelt it this afternoon!” Liam stared at him warily. “You’ve known for all along?”

“I got suspicious when he kept interrupting me whenever I got close to a guy, especially when at first it was just for dating before any…fun.” Stiles shrugged, turning down Liam’s street. “But, relax; Scott and I respect each other way too much to ever do anything about it, and I’ve never told him I know about his ‘admiration’ for the same reason. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me, Liam!”

“Yeah,” The werewolf whispered softly and leaned over the handbrake to kiss him. After a few seconds of blissful contact, Liam pulled back. “Hey, can you drive around town again, I don’t want to go home just yet, and the sun still has an hour in the sky, I love these late summer days!”

“Sure,” Stiles returned his grin, steering the Jeep back onto the road. “Especially since you know what next week is.”

“Ugh, don’t say it!” Liam moaned dramatically. “Why do you have to leave me?! Why cruel world? Why?!”

“Jeez, calm down, pup!” He shook his head and shrugged. “My Dad wants to go on vacation with me, it’s really our last opportunity to do it since next year-”

“YAAAA!” Liam cut across him, childishly sticking his fingers in his ears and shaking his head. “NOT LISTENING!”

“College!” Stiles whispered, seeing the younger teen scowl at him, unable to stop his werewolf hearing from picking up the word. “But he also has that conference in Harrisburg, so he booked a holiday cottage, I think that’s what those things are called, anyway. It’ll be a week, and then I’m all yours again!”

“Yeah, but that’s the week of the full moon!” Liam whined, pouting at Stiles. “How am I meant to get through it without my Anchor?!”

“You’ll be fine, you got this, pup!” Stiles grinned at him again, reaching out to clutch Liam’s hand. “What could possibly go wrong?!”


	76. The Legend of “Naked Dog Boy”

The sun was setting as Stiles sat on the lawn chair at the back of their rented holiday cottage, a pristine stretch of river a few feet from him, a flock of birds flying overhead, never ceasing their constant squawking, the sound having kept Stiles up every night since they got here. “Bloody protected birds…” He growled at them, but it wasn’t as though he could complain too much. Stiles had spent the morning asleep in the lawn chair before he woke up at noon to find his chest and fronts of his arms and legs tanned and hot to the touch. Not wanting Liam or Scott to make fun of him when he returned, Stiles threw down a towel and lay on his stomach for the afternoon. _Good enough, I guess, though it’s not gonna last._ The teenager shrugged, glancing at his phone, lock screen displaying a picture of him and Liam that he took before they left, a rare moment on that day when Liam was grinning. _Still looks like a Cali surfer; his hair grown out a bit, and that suntan…and let’s not forget the body!_

“Stiles?” His father came out of the house behind him, the Sheriff looking uncomfortable in civilian clothes. “I’m going to be heading off now.”

“Cool,” Stiles craned his back and frowned. “Uh, don’t ya think the tie is a bit much? I thought you guys were just going out for drinks?”

“Err, I guess?” He pulled the tie off and undid the top button as Stiles looked at him. “Better?”

“Much. Say ‘hi’ to Sheriff McCarthy for me!”

“There’ll be other sheriffs too, Stiles,” His father hesitated awkwardly. “It’s not…a date or anything.”

“Right, of course.” Stiles nodded. “Well, have fun anyway, don’t be out too late!”

“You’re one to talk!” The Sheriff grumbled, but turned away, waving at him. “See ya.”

“Bye.” Stiles murmured, hearing the door close and in a few minutes, he was alone again, looking over the calm, still river. “Wished I could’ve convinced him to let Liam come with us…”

 

Liam looked at Scott, frowning at the bag of chains the Alpha had placed on his bed. “I don’t need those.”

“You think you don’t, but it’s the best way to learn how to control the shift.” Scott insisted, pulling out a length of heavy steel links and a large padlock. “I’ll chain you to a tree in the Preserve and we’ll work through it until you can control your rage and get a handle on the transformation, and then I’ll let you go!”

“Um, no.” Liam shook his head. “Me and Stiles have a system, it’s worked all this-”

“He’s not here, Liam, I can’t take the risk of you suddenly losing control and attacking people.” Scott was looking at him with that intense sincerity that Liam hated, it was the expression the Alpha used whenever he wanted people to agree with him, and it always worked on Stiles. “Ok?”

“No, not ok!” The werewolf glared at him, feeling his fingers itch as he held back the urge to unsheathe his claws. “I told you that I can take care of myself, I know how to control the shift, and tying me up will only make me angrier!”

“Uh, Liam…” The Alpha pointed at his socked feet pointedly.

“Damn it,” He groaned, looking down at the toe-claws. “That’s another pair shredded. How come you never warned me about that?!”

“Um, doesn’t affect me that much; maybe it’s a unique trait some werewolves have?” 

“Great, better start wearing open-toed sandals.” Liam muttered, catching Scott’s eye again. “Fine, ok, we’ll do it your way, but only this once since Stiles isn’t here.”

“He won’t be here next year,” Scott said, picking up the bag of chains and padlocks. “You need to be able to control it before we leave for college.”

“I know!” Liam snapped at him, irritated by how Scott kept bringing up the fact that Stiles was spending his last year in Beacon Hills. “Let’s just go.”

 

“Is it too tight?” Scott asked as he finished securing the chains around Liam’s torso, pulling his arms up so he could bind those separately. “Huh?”

“It’s fine, what do you care?!” Liam growled at him, the yellow glow already surrounding his irises, fangs pushing painlessly through his gums to re-order his teeth. “Don’t act like you’re trying to help me, Scott, you’re only doing this because you’re afraid of me!”

“That’s just the werewolf talking,” Scott shook his head, “And I know you and Stiles have been working on using the mantra and him as a focus point, but this is the way I learned, and Derek learned and-”

“Great role model, Scott.” Liam smirked at him, “And…where is Derek now? Yeah, exactly.” He added when Scott sighed. 

“The moon is about to reach its peak,” Scott said, ignoring Liam’s angry glare and securing his arms to the other chains with a massive padlock that required both his hands to clip into place. “The effects are going to be the strongest in the next two hours. And that’s when you’re going to control it, ok, Liam? You really have to try, you can’t just hold onto Stiles all the time.”

“I know.”

“You need to focus, channel your rage and aggression inwards so it dissipates…”

Scott was still talking but Liam ignored him, concentrating instead on recalling Stiles’ face, his curious grin whenever Liam stared too hard at him, the way he hugged the werewolf close, even just casually when they were walking along, or more tightly when they parted ways. He smiled to himself, feeling his heart beat slower and the fiery rage that burned along his claws and the points of his fangs pulled back into his chest making Liam feel warm and content. _Thanks, Stiles._

“Ah! See, you’re doing it!” Scott cried out, punching Liam’s arm, an action he immediately regretted when the Beta glared at him, yellow orbs burning into him. “Uh…Liam?”

“I had it! Grr!” The werewolf snarled at him, shaking against the chains. “But you stole it from me! Just like you want to steal Stiles from me!”

“What, I-”

“I could _smell_ you, Scott.” Liam bunched his arms, feeling steel links groan and protest before weakening under his supernatural strength. “That day in the forest, training on that log, I know you want Stiles, but he’s mine! Rawr!”

“Liam, don’t!” Scott backed away from him, hands raised. “That’s not what I want at all!”

“Liar!” The Beta roared, bucking and spreading his arms violently, the chains bursting from him, locks shattering. 

“Ah!” Scott had to duck as a length of steel shot out, scything through the air and smashing into the tree trunk behind him. When he looked up, Liam had disappeared, crashing through the undergrowth, the still night suddenly rent with savage howls and roars. “Fuck! Liam, get back here! I’m your Alpha, damnit!”

But Liam wasn’t listening, the pull of the moon clouding his mind and reverting his thoughts back to the most primal ones. _Hunt. Kill. Eat. Fu-Stiles…Find Stiles!_ The werewolf changed direction, heading back into Beacon Hills proper, catching his jacket on a branch. Liam shrugged it off irritably, already feeling too hot, his shirt soon followed and then his pants were overly constraining, so he shed those too. “Better.” Liam grunted, sprinting along the road in his socks and trunks, vision swimming, red bleeding in from the corners of his eyes and splashing across his sight whenever the werewolf looked up at the streetlamps overhead. 

His skin itched as though it was covered in hives, and Liam climbed the fence of the nearest house where he could smell chlorinated water, dunking himself in their pool. “Ahh!” He erupted from the water with a splash, throwing his wet hair out of his eyes with a flourish. It was only after hearing the strangled scream and racing pulses that Liam looked around and saw two girls he vaguely recognized as Sophomores staring at him. “Err, hi.” 

“Ahhh!” 

“I’m going! I’m going!” Liam managed to say, his fangs making his words slurred. He hoisted himself out of the pool and ran towards the neighboring yard, vaulting the fence with ease. The next one was a little higher and Liam cursed as he heard the rip of fabric, his trunks tearing on the concrete post. “Ah, fuck it!” The werewolf tore the remainder of his underwear off and continued running, getting out of the development and back onto the streets, his instincts no longer pulling him towards Stiles. _Not here, Harrisburg. Find Mason, he knows…he…_ “Rawr!”

 

Stiles flicked through the TV channels aimlessly, his skin hot from the sun and the aircon blowing cool air across his body as he tried to get a better position on the sofa, the heat making the black leather stick to him. “Gah!” He gave up and just sunk back down, reaching for his phone to call Liam for their nightly conversation. Stiles paused over the screen and frowned out the window. The moon was just rising, cratered and massive, its silver reflection glinting off the water. “Full moon,” He whispered. “You’ll be alright, Liam, we have our method, you just hold onto that and you’ll be fine…I hope.” 

There was nothing worth watching and Stiles stood up, stretching himself, arms above his end, open shirt parting to reveal his sun kissed skin. Just as he managed to touch the ceiling standing on his tippy toes, the phone rang. “Liam? Ah, Scott.” Stiles answered and walked towards the sliding door that looked out on the river. “Hey, dude, what’s up?”

“Stiles! I tried to stop him, but you know how he gets, and now he’s run off and left his phone behind and-”

“Woah, woah, Scott, slow down!” Stiles cut across him. “Who are we talking about? Did something happen to Liam?”

“Yeah, we were, I was trying to show him my way of controlling the shift.”

“Scott!” He groaned. “I thought we agreed to retire the ‘bind them in chains’ method? Liam’s been doing great; working through the system he and I came up with, it’s not just for the full moon, but whenever he’s angry.”

“I know, I just thought I could…” Scott trailed off. “Look, I’m sorry, ok? But we need to find him, he’s not in the Preserve any longer.”

“Ok, well, I’m still a few hours from you guys, surely one rogue Beta will be easy for you to handle, right?”

“Um,” The Alpha hesitated, his voice high when he next spoke. “Liam’s naked!”

“What?!” Stiles stared at his reflection in the glass. “Uh, you know what, don’t explain, just try and find him, I’ll come home right now, keep me in the loop!” He ended the call hurriedly and ran back to his room, sliding into his shoes and grabbing a scrap of paper to write with. _Sorry Dad, Liam needs me, werewolf emergency…uh, hope you had a good night!_ Stiles finished with a flourish and then rushed outside, throwing his phone and wallet into the Jeep. Just before he swung himself into the driver’s seat, Stiles paused, looking into the shadows near the front door, almost certain he could see something there, a blur in the air, the image of the wooden lats bending and twisting. “What the…” Pain lanced across his head, but his phone rang out suddenly, pulling his attention back to Liam and latest werewolf misadventure. 

“Yeah? No, I’m just leaving now, Scott!” Stiles called out, thrusting the gearstick into first and roaring out of the gravel driveway, thoughts of the odd distortion lost as Scott filled him in about the pool and frightened teenagers. “Fucking hell, Liam!”

 

Liam crouched in front of Mason’s living room window, watching from the darkness as his best friend walked around, talking to someone who was outside of his line of sight. It wasn’t Brett, the other werewolf’s scent was a few days old around the door and his eco-fuel car was distinct enough for Liam to remember. He half stood up, waving slightly to catch Mason’s attention when the other person walked into the room. She stopped dead, staring directly at him, and Liam could already see the scream forming on her lips. _Crap!_

The werewolf dropped to the ground, his hands clutching his junk to hide it from view. _That was…shit! That was Hayden! I knew Mason talked to her, but what’s she doing here?_ He crawled around to the side of the house, listening as Mason tried to cover for him, clearly working out what had happened. _I need to get out of here!_ Liam nodded to himself and ran into the front yard again, this time sprinting across the lawn and over the small hedge into the neighbor’s yard, looking over his shoulder when Mason’s front door opened, Hayden stepping onto the porch. 

“I could’ve sworn I saw him!”

“Nope! Didn’t see anything!” Mason called out loudly, “If there was a hot, naked guy outside my house, I’d be the first to get him in here! Hahaha!”

“Ah!” Liam cried out, running forwards and tripping over the empty trash cans, his attention on Hayden and Mason. The werewolf sprung up again, running faster away as lights came on and dogs started to bark around him.

 

Stiles rubbed his eyes tiredly, releasing a relieved sigh when he saw the Beacon Hills sign greeting him. “Finally!” His father had called him an hour before, having come home from his night out, not pleased, but surprisingly understanding about the whole affair, just telling him to make sure Liam didn’t do anything criminal. “Should be easy,” Stiles had muttered, not mentioning that his boyfriend was currently running around the town butt naked. He pulled off the highway and reached back to switch on the police scanner, flicking through the stations until he found the right one.

“Dispatch, this is Unit Eight, I’m at the scene of the fifty-five-K, confirming report of naked male, roughly five-six, a hundred and fifty pounds, muscular, maybe fifteen or sixteen years old.”

“Copy that, Unit Eight, stand by at your location, additional reports are putting the same suspect at multiple addresses around Beacon Hills.” There was a pause and Stiles glared at the radio. “Unit Ten, Deputy Parrish confirms that there are no known drug offenders in the area, he’ll check in with Hill Valley; continue your patrol and see if you can find this guy. I’m getting reports of ‘glowing eyes’ so maybe he has those reflective contacts in.”

“Ten-four, Dispatch, I’m heading up Waterman now.”

“Waterman?” Stiles repeated, “That’s where Mason lives.” He nodded and started driving again, listening to the police calls as they came in; over a dozen reports of the ‘naked dog boy’ from the area around Mason’s house. “Are you kidding me, Liam?!” 

He drove around for almost twenty minutes until Stiles finally found Liam on the side of the road leading back to the Preserve. The Beta had passed out, flat on his face, ass in the air on a bed of grass, his skin slick with perspiration and flushed from the running and effects of the moon; his face still transformed. “Liam!”

There was no reply and Stiles jumped down into the ditch to grab his boyfriend, pulling him out with a grunt, the dead weight hard to bear. “Fuck, you’re heavy!” Stiles groaned but managed to heave Liam over his shoulder and scramble up the bank onto the road. “All those extra gym sessions are paying off, huh?” He propped the unconscious werewolf against the Jeep and hauled open the door, placing him inside, the effort making Stiles pant and grunt like a bear. “Phew! Oh man! Just give me a minute…” He gasped, hurrying back to his side when his phone started ringing again. “Scott! I got him!”

“Oh, great, are you ok?”

“Yeah, just outta breath.” Stiles gasped, “I’ll call you later, bye.” He looked across at Liam, the werewolf still passed out, and grinned. “And you, you beautiful disaster! We are so talking about this later. Although…it’s been a week since I’ve seen you…” Stiles trailed off, reaching over to tilt Liam’s face towards him, smiling. “Guess I’ll have to wait until you wake up; what kind of creeper would I be if I just started jerking you off right now?!”

“The best kind?” Liam muttered, his eyes fluttering, “Stiles…”

“Hey, I got you.” Stiles leaned over and awkwardly hugged him, pulling back to kiss Liam’s lips softly. “Rest now, I’ll take you back to my place, you can ride out the rest of the full moon there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Sheriffs' Conference was in Harrisburg CA, not PA, so Stiles was able to return quickly, in case you were confused.


	77. Better to be Distracted

“So…” Stiles started as Liam glared at him, his brows furrowing into an expression that was becoming all too common lately. He sighed and shook his head at the werewolf. “I guess we don’t have to talk about it after all.”

“I’d rather talk about the full moon than talk about _that._ ” Liam muttered darkly, folding his arms as he sat next to Stiles on his bed. “Anything but that.”

“We’re gonna have to talk about what this year means at some point, Liam.”

“No, we don’t!”

“But-” Stiles stopped and hit Liam’s arm sternly. “Hey, you don’t growl at me, remember?”

“Sorry.” Liam hung his head, cheeks flushing. “I just don’t want you to go or break up with me!”

“And why would I be breaking up with you?”

“Because you’ll be moving away.” Liam replied, not meeting his eyes. “And it’ll be easier to do that if we’re not together, right?”

“Ugh…” Stiles groaned dramatically and slumped sideways, resting his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “You silly werewolf! Is that what’s been bothering you? We’re solid, Liam, and I’d never dump your sweet ass just because it would be _easier_ to move away.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“I’ve been doing research into where me and Scott are going to live next year, so we’d be close to Lydia, Kira, and Malia,” Stiles explained, not moving from his comfortable position against Liam. “All in service to the Plan, of course.”

“Of course,” Liam agreed with a mumble, his hand reaching over to slip into Stiles’, a sense of comfort and warmth enveloping him. “The Plan…”

“I know it’s early, but I want to get a sense of the market, see what’s available, that sort of thing.”

“Mmh.”

“Hey! No sleeping!” Stiles said half-heartedly, feeling his own eyes droop as Liam murmured something he couldn’t hear, and the werewolf tilted his head enough that his chin was touching Stiles’ hair. “I guess a small nap wouldn’t hurt…”

 

Liam blinked his eyes awake, feeling his phone buzz against him. He glanced at Stiles, his boyfriend still asleep, expression calm, handsome face resting against him, lips slightly parted. Liam swallowed hard as his pulse spiked and a surge of protectiveness threatened to overwhelm him. _Stop, Liam, there’s nothing I can do, and there’s still almost a year left. We’ll figure something out._ He grabbed his phone and looked at the text message. “Fuck.”

“Wha?” Stiles muttered sleepily, shuffling closer to him. “Something wrong?”

“Mason and Brett broke up.”

“Oh, shit.” Stiles sat up quickly. “Is he ok? Does he want us to go over?”

“I’m not sure.” Liam frowned at his phone. “I’ll call him.”

“Cool, I have to pee.” Stiles kissed him on the cheek and rolled off the bed. 

“Liam.” Mason answered almost instantly.

“Hey, dude, you ok? I, um, I got your message.” Liam wet his lips, unsure what he should say, Brett had been Mason’s first…everything, just like Stiles was to him. “So, um, are you? Ok, I mean?”

“Yeah, yeah, I am.” He sounded the same as always. “I just thought I should tell you in case you’re wondering what happened, or why he’s not hanging out with me. Brett and I, err, well, it’s over, you know, what more is there to say?”

“Right, right.” Liam glanced up when Stiles returned to the bedroom. “Hey, um, are you doing anything this afternoon? Me and Stiles were going to go hit lacrosse balls around, get ready for the new season, you wanna come along?” The werewolf glared when Stiles opened his mouth to speak and Stiles huffed, bending over to grab his sneakers. “Mason?”

“Um, yeah, sure, why not? I’ll meet you guys at the school.”

“Great, see you in half an hour.” Liam ended the call and looked at Stiles. “Sorry, but he’s not a very good phone talker, it’ll be easier to speak to him about it in person.”

“It’s cool,” He nodded. “Besides, let’s be honest, I still suck super-hard at lacrosse, so any extra practice would be welcome, especially with the _wunderkind_ himself!” Stiles added with a grin.

“You’re a lot better than before though, I’m no longer embarrassed to be around you at practice!” Liam ducked the lacrosse ball that was thrown at him and dived across the duvet to grab Stiles from behind. “Rawr!” He playfully growled and pulled his boyfriend back against him, causing Stiles to struggle and squirm until Liam found himself flat on his back with the older teenager smirking down at him. “Huh? How’d you do that?”

“It wasn’t all sitting by a river, soaking in the sun in Harrisburg, Liam.” Stiles winked at him and climbed on top of him, pinning the werewolf’s arms down, his hands curling around Liam’s biceps, fingers flexing against the smooth, bunched muscles. “Met this pretty awesome hand-to-hand trainer who was there to demo some non-lethal methods for taking an armed suspect down. I got some killer tips and experience!”

“What?!”

“Aw, relax, pup, I’m telling you now.” His smirk grew wider as Liam’s expression became increasingly jealous. After a few more seconds, Stiles adopted an innocent look. “Oh, silly me, did I forget to mention that the instructor was a woman?”

“What? Oh, well, I guess that’s different.”

“Uh huh. Well, being able to take a werewolf by surprise should come in pretty handy in case we get into any more supernatural scraps, huh?”

“Yeah, I suppose…” Liam looked away, relaxing, before moving suddenly, bucking upwards and twisting his arms so Stiles lost his grip and the werewolf was able to flip him over, immediately rolling onto Stiles’ back and pushing him into the bed, knees forcing his legs to part and keeping his grip on his arms, Liam whispered. “What happens _after_ you take them by surprise?”

“Uh, I haven’t figured that part out yet!”

“Haha,” Liam laughed and rolled off him, gesturing with his head towards the door. “C’mon, Action Man, we can work on the follow-up later.”

 

“It just didn’t work out,” Mason shrugged, explaining as he tossed the ball back at Liam, Stiles standing in the goal. “I mean I knew it wasn’t going to last longer, I mean he made me, err, on the first date, and that’s always a sign, right?”

“Why are you asking me?” Liam scowled. “Do you know how long I had to wait to even get a kiss?! Ask Stiles, he’s the master lover!”

“Uh, no.” Stiles shook his head furiously, blocking Liam’s ball and throwing it back out to them. “There would have to be actual dates for me to know anything about that aspect of hooking up.”

“Hah,” Mason sniggered as Liam shot Stiles an exasperated look. “Well, anyway, me and Brett tried the friends-with-benefits thing for about a week, but I guess he didn’t really want that either.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the getting together was always great, but we used to just lie there afterwards and talk and stuff.” Mason concentrated on firing the ball at Stiles, shaking his head when the older teen caught it with ease. “But we stopped doing that once we stopped being boyfriends, and as great as it is to have no strings awesome sex, I’m looking for more. Ah, ours was a star that was too bright to last!” Mason struck a Shakespearian pose with the lacrosse stick.

“Well, supernova,” Liam shared a smirk with Stiles. “You keep falling for my feints, concentrate!”

“I’m confused,” Stiles leant on his stick. “Are we practicing lacrosse or providing a comforting space for your best friend to talk?”

“Both, keep that stick up!” The werewolf barked and took another shot. “Watch my legs, and I’ll telegraph the move; we need to work together if we want to smash Devenford this year!”

“So, um, Liam,” Mason started after switching places with Stiles to allow the boyfriends to practice together. “We’ve never talked about what happened two weeks ago…at the full moon.”

“Hah!” Stiles swiped the ball from Liam as he blushed and fumbled the throw. “Score!”

“Stiles…” Liam sighed and looked at Mason with an apologetic expression. “I don’t know what to say, I guess I was operating on…what did you call it, Stiles?”

“Primal instincts.”

“Right, I don’t really remember anything from that night, or why I went to the places I did.” He flushed again. “I just know that it was really hot, and I needed to cool down and, err, Stiles mentioned that I wasn’t…”

“Wearing anything?” Mason shared Stiles’ smirk. “Yup, that’s about right. You certainly gave us all a good eyeful!”

“Us?” Liam echoed woodenly. “Was Brett there?”

“Err, no, it was Hayden, I’ve been tutoring her this summer; she was sick in June and most of last year.” He explained. “We’re almost good friends and she’s transferring to Beacon Hills, so she doesn’t have to repeat Freshman year if I keep tutoring her.”

“What?!” Liam glared at him. “You…Hayden…how could you do this to me?!”

“Kinda in the dark here, guys.” Stiles said, but both of them ignored him. “Ooook.”

“Don’t worry, I managed to convince her it was nothing, just a trick of the light outside the window and not, err, a naked you.” Mason shrugged. “You’re welcome.”

“It won’t happen again, I’ll be fine now that Stiles is back.” Liam moved on quickly. “So, are you going to come with us to Sinema tonight, lift your mood a bit?”

“My mood is fine.”

“Well, maybe lift something else then?”

“Liam!” Stiles frowned at him as the werewolf looked innocently at their faces. 

“What? I just meant a glass, lift a glass, that’s an expression, right?!”

“Hmm, I was there on, err, Friday? Yeah.” Mason shrugged, “I guess two nights in a row is no big deal.”

“That’s the spirit!” Stiles nodded enthusiastically and fired the ball at Liam, gesturing for them to return to the Jeep. “Pretty sure we can find someone there to keep your mind off Brett too.”

“Actually, last night I saw this really cute guy, recognized him from school,” Mason thought for a moment, and then nodded. “Corey, that’s his name. He was with another guy, but I’m not sure if they were just friends, or boyfriends.”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out, and if he is, we’re totally up for a double date!” Liam smiled at them, “Right, Stiles?”

“Sure!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter marks the end of the bridge between seasons 4 and 5, I'll be pursuing a somewhat...different approach for the narrative around season 5's events. That should start up shortly. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	78. Mr Perfect

“ID?” The large bouncer looked them over, his gaze lingering on Liam, the werewolf feeling particularly self-conscious in his massive, woolly sweater. “Well? IDs?”

“Uh, here.” Mason offered his first and the man sighed. “What?”

“Nothing, _Raul Sanchez,_ go on in.” He held up his arm as Stiles and Liam tried to follow Mason into the club. “Not you two, IDs, c’mon, give ‘em here, boys.”

Liam looked helplessly at Stiles, seeing his boyfriend’s lips form a narrow line, his brows furrowed. _Uh oh, I know that look…_

“Carl?” Stiles grinned suddenly, hooking his fingers into the belt loops of his ridiculously tight trousers, the beige fabric leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. “It’s Carl, right? I’m sure you know who I am; the Sheriff’s son, the guy who has the ear of the law around here, the guy who might be able to make all those parking violations disappear into the same trash can that your speeding tickets are about to go into.”

“What? How do you-”

“Not many bouncers named Carl in Beacon Hills, especially those who drive a silver Dodge Ram,” Stiles gestured at the parking lot behind them, and then placed his hand on the man’s arm. “So, you let me and my boyfriend inside, and poof, suddenly that court case falls by the wayside…hmm?”

“I, uh,” The bouncer glanced at the small black dome above his head and lowered his voice. “Give me a card, any sorta card; library, Starbucks, it doesn’t matter, just show me something.”

“Sure,” Stiles grinned at Liam and held out his student ID, the werewolf copying him quickly. After a quick glance at the cards, the bouncer stood to one side and they hurried inside, the pounding music and darkness surrounding them. “I can’t believe that worked!”

“I can’t believe you promised that!” Liam glared at him. “Are you seriously gonna mess up all that police work?! Your Dad will kill you.”

“Please, give me some credit, Liam.” Stiles placed his arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders and pulled him close, making their way towards the center of the club, bodies pressing against them, jets of dry ice firing off as the music reached new heights. “I might accidently spill coffee all over the reports, but a guy like Carl who has a violation every week; he’ll mess up again and no one will get hurt.” Liam was giving him a sceptical look and Stiles shrugged. “It’ll be fine.”

“Uh huh, let’s just find Mason.”

“Sure,” Stiles gripped his shoulders through the thick sweater. “And you can take that pullover off now, it’ll be really hot in here.”

“Is that why you’re wearing a t-shirt that just about fits?”

“Um, kinda.”

“Okay.” Liam replied slowly, shaking his head. “I’m good like this, thanks. Let’s find Mason, hopefully before he finds Corey; we’re his wingmen, right?”

“Right.” Stiles grinned and danced along with the music as he scanned the room.

 

“There he is.” Stiles nodded over towards the speakers. “He’s with someone, is that Corey?”

“Dunno, I don’t really remember the guy, do you?”

“Well, if he’s a Freshman, then, no, I’ve tried to leave my Second Line, sitting-on-the-bench days behind me.” He shrugged and took another swig of his beer, glancing at Liam. “You sure all you want is a soda?”

“It’s not like I can get drunk, and I never really liked the taste of beer anyway.” He shrugged and looked around the room, sweat sticking his shirt to his back. “You been here before?”

“Once or twice, though I never had to pull that sort of stunt at the door before.” Stiles gestured for them to return to the bar. “But then again, I did have a fake ID, at least until my Dad found it and took it…”

“Probably for the best.” Liam smirked, looking at the way Stiles was burning through his beer. He leaned against the counter, eyes drifting over the shirtless bartender and then at the other patrons; a mix of young and old, college kids and silver-haired men that looked suspiciously similar to his Uncle Frank. _But he’s in Austin, so hopefully not!_ “Do you wanna dance or…?”

“We should wait here in case Mason crashes and burns with Corey.” Stiles replied, shaking his head. “If he already has a boyfriend, we need to be ready to turn Mason around and find him another hot piece of ass!”

“Err, ok.”

“And relax, Liam!” Stiles nudged him playfully. “Geeze, you’d swear this was your first time to a club…which it totally is…I’m sorry. But you should still take off the sweater, it’s not like some guy is going to try and get into your pants just because you’re showing off those great arms of yours!”

“I’m fine.” Liam muttered, before repeating it louder. The music was pumping hard for the humans, but to him the volume it was blasting at almost hurt, his enhanced abilities taking a moment to compensate as the bass dropped and electronic beats scattered to the heavens. He didn’t like the way the smoke obscured everything, or how close everyone was to him and Stiles. Especially to Stiles. _Grr!_ Liam growled internally, pulling Stiles against him and glaring at the man who had been creepily dancing next to them. “I don’t like this place.”

“We’ll go closer to the bar, c’mon, there’s some free stools.” Stiles gripped his hand tight and led Liam over to the empty seats, pushing him gently to sit on one. “Go on.”

“You ok, boys?” The bartender grinned at them and Liam scowled at the counter when the handsome man’s eyes lingered on Stiles. “Can I get you anything?”

“Two Cosmos for these _fine_ specimens of manhood!” One of the silver-haired men from earlier was leaning next to them, smirking, offering the bartender a twenty. The man waved his hand at Stiles, drawling in his Southern accent. “No need to thank me, gorgeous, just come have a dance with me later! And bring your cute friend too!”

“Uh, thanks.” Stiles nodded and shrugged when Liam glared at him. “What?”

“Why did you accept that?” The werewolf growled, his claws scratching the surface of the counter until Stiles grabbed his hand.

“Relax, Liam, this is what it’s like to be young, hot, and kinda broke: free drinks!” He grinned and patted his boyfriend’s arm. “I’m only dancing with you tonight, no matter who else buys me drinks!”

“But I haven’t bought you any…”

Stiles just smiled at him, turning around as Mason came over to them, his expression glum and normally bright eyes dim. “What’s wrong? Is he single?”

“No.” Mason grunted and took the Cosmo from Liam before the werewolf could taste the pink drink. “He’s got a boyfriend, some Sophomore called Lucas.”

“Did you get a look at him?” Liam asked, standing up to crane his head over the crowded dance floor, not that the extra few inches of the stool helped him. “I don’t see them.”

“They’re in one of the side rooms.” Mason drained the cocktail and sighed. “Lucas is pretty hot though, definite competition. Hell, I’d probably be chasing after him if I didn’t know he was with Corey! He was shirtless and those abs, man, fucking cut!"

“Thirsty much?” Stiles smirked as the bartender slid another two cocktails towards. “Um, I didn’t order that.”

“Compliments from the end of the bar.”

“Oh,” Stiles glanced in the direction he was pointing at and grinned, raising a drink in thanks. He could feel Liam glaring at him but shrugged. “Those guys are college-aged! That’s an improvement, right?”

“I guess…” Liam grumbled as Mason disappeared back into the crowd of dancers. “As long as they’re not expecting anything.”

“Relax, Liam, seriously.” Stiles kissed him on the cheek and squeezed his arm. “I’m going nowhere.”

 

He sipped the drink, blinking at the strange taste, even as Stiles knocked them back one after another, new drinks appearing whenever Stiles finished. Liam shook his head after the third time it happened and grabbed his boyfriend’s hand, pulling him away from the bar and onto the dancefloor. “Will you stop it?”

“Stop wha?” Stiles slurred, his hands gripping Liam’s waist. “Why are you angry?”

“Because you keep taking their drinks, I’m not stupid, Stiles, I know what they want!” Liam glared at him, tilting his head up to meet Stiles’ eyes, aggression firing around him as he fought the urge to shift, fists balled and blood welling from between his fingers as his claws dug into the flesh of his palms. “I don’t like it here, I’m going home.”

“Liam, c’mon, they’re only-”

“Are you coming or not?”

“Yeah, of course, Mason is…” Stiles looked around, nodding at the entrance to one of the side-rooms. “Ah, well, he’s, um, guess he’s getting his rebound.”

“Huh?” Liam glanced in the direction that Stiles indicated. “Oh, I know him; he’s the keeper for Hill Valley, um, Caleb, I think. He’s cool, Mason will be fine.”

“Wait, I’ll just tell him.” Stiles made to move, but Liam gripped him tight. “Liam, what the hell? Let me go!”

“You alright?” One of the college guys that had kept buying Stiles drinks all night walked over to them. 

“We’re fine.” Liam growled possessively, maintaining his grip on Stiles’ arm. “Leave us alone!”

“Liam!” Stiles managed to wrench his arm away after a furious exchange of glares. He smiled disarmingly at the guy. “We’re cool, really, he’s just…drunk, tired, I’ll take him home. But, err, thanks for the drinks, dude, that was really generous of you.”

“Sure, sure,” The guy grinned, folding his arms casually so his well-developed biceps became more obvious. He stepped closer to Stiles, pushing a torn beer mat into his hand. “Maybe give me a call when you get tired of the clingy one, huh?”

“Stiles is mine!” Liam roared and shoved the college guy hard, forcing him to trip up and collide with the other dancers. “Back off or I’ll make you!”

“Fuck!” Stiles grabbed Liam and pushed him out towards the exit, dodging the bouncer and escaping into the cool air outside. “C’mon, hurry, you idiot!” He looked over his shoulder as they ran along the pavement, rounding the block to where they had parked earlier. “Ok, ok, I think we’re ok!”

“Yeah…” Liam muttered, staring at his hands, the claws visible at the end of his fingers. _That anger, I thought I’d left that behind, fuck, I wanted to rip that guy apart, I was even going to…if Stiles hadn’t-_

“Liam!” Stiles shook him, forcing the werewolf to look up at him. “We can text Mason from the car, but we should still get out of here.” He glanced down into his hand, seeing the college hunk’s number. Stiles snorted and shredded it into pieces, grinning at Liam. “The nerve of that guy, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Liam hung his head, ashamed at having lost his cool so easily. “He had nice arms though.”

“Sure, but he didn’t want _you_ , and while that sweater isn’t doing you any favours, he’d still have to blind and insane not to want the famed lacrosse star and ultra-cutie Liam Dunbar in his bed!” Stiles nudged him playfully as they entered the parking lot. “But, hey, all the more of your sweet werewolf ass for me!”

“Really, you’re not angry?”

“Uh, worried, sure, but we can talk about it later.” Stiles looked behind them as a police car screamed past. “My Dad is working tonight, so us getting caught for starting a fight in a club that I had to bribe our way into is _not_ going to look good.”

“Understatement.” Liam agreed, climbing into the Jeep. “I’m sorry.”

“I know.” Stiles stayed by the passenger side and leaned in as Liam buckled his seatbelt. “Doesn’t mean I don’t still love you.” He grinned and kissed Liam hard, making his lips buzz and his tight trousers get even tighter when the werewolf’s tongue slipped past his own. “What time did you say to your folks you’d be back at?”

“Um, curfew is midnight for summer.” He replied, eyes locking onto Stiles’ face. “We have a while yet.”

“Cool, let’s go get Drive-Thru.” Stiles nodded and skipped around to the other side of the Jeep. “We’ll head out to that access road in the Preserve where you can see nothing but the endless trees; you love that place, right?

“Yeah, feels like there’s never anyone else there but us.” Liam murmured, smiling at Stiles as the memories of the club faded slightly. He frowned suddenly, “Wait, aren’t you like totally hammered?”

“Um, not _totally,_ I’ll go slow!” Stiles shrugged and popped a mint into his mouth. “Besides running from danger always sobers me up!”


	79. The Renewal

“What are you thinking about?” Stiles looked over at Liam, lying next to him against the windshield of the Jeep, clouds beginning to cover the stars above them.

“Nothing much, just school starting tomorrow.” The werewolf shrugged, sighing. “And what that means of course.”

“I thought we agreed not to talk about college stuff until after Christmas break.”

“Yeah, but I’m still gonna think about it.” Liam muttered, zipping up his hoodie. “The moon is going to be at its zenith soon, and Scott will be back in a minute.”

“You’ll be ok.” Stiles smiled at him and gripped his hand. “You’ve got the control, and there’s going to be no stress tonight, right?”

“Right.” Liam nodded, the corners of his lips twitching upwards as he glanced at his boyfriend. “The moon has been full since yesterday and it’ll be the strongest all month tonight, but with you beside me, Stiles, it’ll be fine. I’ll be able to control the shift no problem, you’ll see!”

“Yeah, I’m not so sure about that.” Scott walked over to the side of the Jeep, zipping up his trousers and leaning on the hood. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, Stiles, Liam is always calmer around you, but I still think we should start preparing for when that won’t be the case.”

“Scott, it’s fine.” Stiles replied, frowning at him. “Me and Liam both agreed to look at the options for that, but it’s not going to happen on an actual full moon. Talk to us about it next week and we’ll figure out a way for Liam to remain anchored even when I’m not here.”

“I controlled it just fine in Mexico, literally minutes before fighting Berserker-You.” Liam muttered, angrily staring at the storm clouds that obscured Beacon Hills from view; thunder was barely audible from the other side of the town. “If you’d stop pressuring me, I’d have it completely controlled by now!”

“Hey, I’m just trying to protect everyone.” Scott fired back, raising his hands, as Stiles shook his head. “You were a massive nuisance last full moon, Liam, you didn’t have any idea what you were doing. What would’ve happened if you’d hurt someone, or used your claws or-”

“Enough, Scott.” Stiles cut across him firmly. “Liam wouldn’t do that. Last time was just mid-summer madness, he’ll be totally cool tonight, right, pup?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm.” The Alpha growled irritably, kicking a duffle bag to one side, the contents clinking loudly.

“A bag of chains? Seriously, Scott?” Stiles said, sitting up and sliding off the hood. “It didn’t work last time, and it’s not happening this time; put them in the trunk and then we should start thinking about heading out.”

“Fine.” Scott dropped the back into the back seat and glanced at Liam knowingly before looking at Stiles, arms folded across his chest. “So, you given any more thought to where we’re going to live in college? I know it’s next year and we’ve got all this year to think and talk about it, but…”

Liam tuned out the rest of what Scott was saying, hearing only a hissing noise, the Alpha’s mouth moving, but no sound coming out. He took a deep breath and clenched his fists tight, feeling his claws dig into the flesh, pain making his senses sharpen and allowing him to retain control, showing no outward signs of anger. Liam saw the quick look Scott shot him but just glared defiantly back, silently daring him to say something, draw attention to the handful of blood he was holding. _Like I don’t know what you’re doing, Scott, talking about when you and Stiles will be living together, going to college together, clubbing, going out, taking my place…_

 

“You ok, pup?” Stiles tapped Liam’s cheek affectionately when he noticed the werewolf had gone still. “Hey, c’mon, let’s go.”

“Yeah, that storm is really coming in,” Scott commented, climbing into the front seat next to the driver. “Well, come on!”

The younger werewolf glared at Scott. “You’re in my seat.”

“Err…”

“Yeah, Scott, get up.” Stiles shook his head at him, swinging into the Jeep. _Those two are butting heads way more than normal. Must be the full moon._ “We’ll grab Malia first and then make our way to the school; Kira will meet us there, right?”

“Yeah, I talked to her earlier, they were concerned the storm might delay things, but she texted me after I took a piss and they had just landed.”

“Eww,” Stiles pulled a face and grabbed a bottle of antiseptic gel from the glove box, throwing it at Scott. “Wash your hands, dude, don’t be getting your pee-pee fingers all over Roscoe!”

“He’s not that precious, Stiles.” Liam smirked as his boyfriend turned the key and the engine groaned. “I mean, you’re gonna have a hard-enough time getting that clunker of an engine started!”

“ _What?_ ” Stiles hissed, turning slowly to glare at Liam, his brows pulled together, furious.

“Uh, nothing!” Liam said quickly, feeling his stomach clench hard as he smelt Stiles’ sudden anger. “I didn’t mean-”

“You’re demoted to the back seat!” Stiles growled, patting the worn dashboard protectively. “Scott, get your ass up here!”

“Sure, Stiles.” Scott grinned cheekily at Liam and side-stepped him deftly, the younger werewolf grumbling under his breath and sitting behind Stiles with a grunt. “My hands are clean now.”

“Hmph.” Stiles turned the key in the ignition, pumping the accelerator until the engine turned over and Roscoe let out a coughing roar, the exhaust backfiring and a cloud of black smoke filling the clearing behind them. He released the handbrake and eased the Jeep slowly down the leaf-strewn gravel road, rolling over the uneven surface and through the deep potholes with care, only getting up to speed once they got onto the access road leading out of the Preserve. “We’ll take the shortcut through Menders’ Lane to get to Lakeview, ok?”

 

Lightning started to flash across the sky at a more rapid pace, thunder rolling loudly all around them as the Jeep sped along the smooth, asphalt river, no other cars in sight. Stiles glanced in his rear-view mirror, anger at Liam’s earlier dig vanishing as he saw his boyfriend staring moodily out the window. “Hey, we’ll be alright if we stay in the car, it’s the safest place for us during lightning like this.”

“I’m not scared.” Liam shrugged, pulling out his phone to text Mason.

“Really? Since lightning is pretty much the werewolf’s version of Kryptonite, I figured you’d be at least a little concerned.”

“We’ll be fine,” The Beta replied as Scott texted absently, his attention drawn to Kira’s latest message and away from them. “Hey Stiles?”

“Yeah?”

“This thing you’re going to, you haven’t told me what it’s about.”

“That’s right.”

“So, is it a party?” Liam asked hopefully, leaning forward to rest his arms on the back of their seats.

“It is not a party.”

“Hmm.” Liam frowned, glancing at his phone to see the digits turn to ten-fifteen. “So, what’s at midnight?”

“Your bedtime!” Stiles smirked as Liam rolled his eyes at him. “But I’m not gonna be there to tuck you in, pup.”

“You said we’re picking up Malia, but what about the others? Why aren’t they going?”

“Lydia and Kira will meet us there, ok?” He sighed, “And just stop asking questions, alright? It's a Senior thing, you'll know when you're a Senior.”

“Gee, thanks, Stiles, another reminder that you’re leaving.” Liam grumbled, pouting at him.

“No, Liam, that wasn’t what I meant.” Stiles half-turned, glaring at him. “Look, it’s-”

“Err, you guys having trouble with your cell service?”

“I don’t think so.” Liam looked down at his phone as the Jeep suddenly shuddered forward, spluttering, the lights flashing before it died completely. “Uh, are you outta gas, Stiles?”

“No, it’s like the battery is failing, which would _suck._ ” Stiles muttered, gesturing irritably at the steering wheel when Roscoe wouldn’t restart, nothing but a dull grinding when he turned the key. “Wait here, I think I know what it is; probably the alternator again, grr!” He nodded for Scott to join him, hopping out to join his best friend in pulling the hood back from the blackened engine block, charred strips of duct tape wound around almost all of the pipes, the smell of burnt oil assaulting their nostrils. “Ok…”

“Woah,” Scott gasped, shining the lamp onto the engine compartment. “That’s a lot of duct tape!”

“Yeah, stop-gap repairs.” Stiles shrugged, “I haven’t really got the cash to get all the cables fixed, and the belts are a little threadbare, but it still works so, um.”

“That sounds dangerous, Stiles.”

“I keep telling him that!” Liam called out from where he was hanging from the window.

“Just listen to your music!” Stiles shouted at him, throwing a roll of duct tape at Scott. “We’re gonna be here a while…”

 

Liam sighed and settled back into the seat, bobbing his head along to the beat, waiting for Mason to reply to his texts, his best friend having one final hook up with Caleb before school started. The thunder was a lot closer to them now, lightning flashing overhead nearly constantly, but Liam paid it no attention, feeling secure in Stiles’ Jeep. “Huh?” He turned his head, hearing a strange crack behind them and seeing sparks on the road. “Uh, guys?” There was another crack, a bolt of lightning crashing down to zap the asphalt behind the Jeep, a lot closer than Liam would have wanted. “Guys! Stiles, you need to-”

“Give us a second, please!” His boyfriend replied testily. “The damn alternator is being weird.”

“But-” Liam started, cut off again, this time from an explosion in front of the Jeep. “Stiles?!”

“Ahh!” 

“Fuck!” Scott swore loudly. “That was close!”

“Very close.” Stiles muttered, jumping when the Jeep started up. “Ah!”

“Stiles, are you ok?!” Liam half-climbed out of the window.

“Keep your head down.” His boyfriend replied, gesturing for him to duck. “And let’s get out of here, place is giving me the creeps.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the start of my take on season five, and will play out relatively close to canon for at least the next eight chapters before there's a major divergence which will affect the rest of the story.


	80. Accidental Secrets

Stiles’ Jeep skidded slightly as he careened around the corner, narrowly missing another car, gesturing wildly at them as they stared back. “Watch where you’re going, assholes! Ever heard of right of way?! I’ll-”

“Stiles,” Scott’s hand shot out and grabbed Stiles’ arm. “Dude, chill.”

There was a low growl from behind them as Stiles slowed down and the two Seniors looked around, seeing Liam glaring at Scott, his eyes glowing a bright yellow, his top lip pulling back as the Beta’s fangs were revealed. Scott quickly released Stiles and Liam nodded approvingly. “Err, pup, you ok?”

“Fine.”

“Great, um,” Stiles glanced at Scott. _Shit, maybe those chains were a good idea after all._ “Uh, we’re close to where Malia texted us; she’s with her Dad, so maybe you can go back to super-cute instead of…scary.”

“Scary?” Liam blinked, his fangs vanishing as his eyes faded. “I, I didn’t realize, right, um. I’m in total control.”

“Sure.” Scott released a sigh, but Stiles refused to look at his best friend, not wanting to see that ‘told you so’ expression he was no doubt wearing. “Malia is over there, Stiles.”

“Yeah, I see her.” Stiles pulled in and then looked in the rear-view mirror, Liam hanging his head in shame. “Uh, Scott, can you hop in the back? I want Liam beside me.”

“Um, ok.” Scott opened the door, barely able to get out before Liam was clambering into his seat, a massive grin plastered across his face. “You still have to get up to let me into the back.”

“You can slip in behind me.” Liam replied, pulling the seat up until he was more comfortable. Stiles smirked when he saw his best friend glare at the back of Liam’s head, Malia getting in alongside him.

“So,” Stiles and Liam turned to look at her at the same time as Scott did. “You, err, hear anything yet?”

“No. Not yet.” Malia responded, sour-faced as Liam nodded.

“We’ll still be friends with you if you have to repeat Junior year!”

“Stiles, I can’t believe you told him.”

“He’s my adorable pup!” Stiles looped one arm around Liam’s neck and pulled him close in excessive exuberance. “I tell him everything!”

“Ugh.” Malia rolled her eyes, “Can we just go?”

“Actually,” Scott wet his lips, careful to look only at Stiles. “We need to go to the hospital first, right? Your ‘pup’ might be… adorable, but he’s not in control of the shift and I don’t-”

“I am in control!” Liam cut across him.

“Easy, Liam, Scott does have a point.” Stiles released him, but kept his hand on Liam’s shoulder, slipping his fingers under the loose collar of his boyfriend’s t-shirt to caress the skin along his collarbone and neck. “Besides, we made an agreement, didn’t we? Didn’t we?”

“Yes, Stiles.” Liam muttered.

“We both need a good night’s sleep before school starts up tomorrow and I don’t think your parents would be ok with me keeping you out until two in the morning.” Stiles smiled at him and started driving again. “Ok?”

“Ok,” The Beta sighed, looking at him. “I hate it when you’re responsible.”

 

“Pretty chaotic around here, huh?” Liam asked as he and Stiles pressed themselves into a wall to avoid the paramedics. “And I just checked; my step-father is going to be in surgery for the next few hours; I’ll be here all alone, just waiting around when I could be with you.”

“Haha, sorry, pup.” Stiles rested his arm on Liam’s shoulder, half-hugging him as they stood near the exit. “But you know that Senior Scribe is a school secret, you can’t get the knowledge of the ultimate ritual until you have come of age!”

“Uh, right.” Liam snorted at Stiles’ voice, sounding like a mystical wizard the more he spoke. “Guess I’ll have to wait then.”

“Look, if you’re not home by the time Senior Scribe is over, I’ll come back and get you, ok?” Stiles turned around and grasped his hands, ignoring Liam’s surprised grunt and the smears of dried blood on his boyfriend’s palms and fingers. _He’s almost got it; next full moon he’ll be perfect._ “I love you, and I’ll text you tonight, just don’t wait up.”

“You’ll drive me to school tomorrow, right?”

“Of course.” He grinned and moved closer, kissing Liam on his lips, eyes closed as the sounds of the hospital faded from hearing for a moment. They rushed back as the ER doors opened with a bang,

“Coming through!”

Stiles pulled away from Liam, slipping outside to re-join Malia and Scott. He looked back at the doors as they swung shut, offering his boyfriend a final smile, Liam not returning the expression, simply looking at them morosely, waving goodbye. 

 

“So, is the puppy monster safely deposited?” Scott asked with a smirk as they walked back to the parking lot where Stiles had been forced, after much complaining, to park to avoid blocking the entrance for the other cars. 

“I wish you wouldn’t call him that.” Stiles scowled. “He’ll get control eventually; didn’t you say that Derek thought Liam was one of the strongest werewolves he’d ever encountered?”

“Yeah, so?”

“So, that might mean that it’ll take him longer to gain mastery than other werewolves, but when he does, he’ll be really strong.” Stiles explained, glancing at his phone. “Hey, any word from Lydia or Kira?”

“Lydia is already at the school.” Malia replied, looking over her shoulder when they slowed down.

“Damn, I can’t get in contact with Kira.” Scott shook his head, chewing his lip. “I heard my Mom say that a truck jack-knifed on the 115 and caused a pile-up.”

“That’s the only way into town from the airport.” Stiles frowned. “And with the cell towers down, maybe I can-”

“I’ll use my bike.” Scott cut across him, “Find her that way.”

“Cool, cool, so, um,” Stiles looked around carefully as Malia lounged against the side of his Jeep. “You haven’t really talked much about Kira these last few weeks, even with all the time we’ve been spending with each other. I thought I wouldn’t be able to shut you up, haha!”

“Oh, well, like, I didn’t want to think about her really, and I’ve been holding out since she left so I could really surprise her when she got back!” 

“Uh, holding out? What…” Stiles stared at Scott’s eager expression and quickly darted his eyes down, before pulling them back up when he caught sight of the huge bulge in his best friend’s trousers. “Dude! You haven’t?! That was weeks ago! You haven’t cum in _weeks!_ Is that even possible?”

“So, that’s what that smell is.” Malia grinned happily, “I was wondering what that was; I thought maybe you’d left some cheese in the back or a jockstrap or something. Great! Thanks, guys!”

“Err,” Stiles pulled Scott further away from her and glared at him. “Is this some kind of purity pledge that you both did?”

“No, just me.”

“Ugh, bro!” He glanced down quickly, looking up in time to see Scott’s brows arch. “Well, it’s just, you won’t be giving Kira a surprise as much as-”

“Giving her a milky bath?” Malia walked over to them, “Going off like a fire hydrant? Exploding in fountains of-”

“Oh my god, stop!” Stiles frantically waved his arms between them as Scott blushed. He looked at Malia. “Have you been reading Lydia’s erotic fiction again?”

“It’s very useful.” She replied defensively. “It’s like a manual for how guys operate!”

“Uh, what’s this?” Scott stared at Stiles with a grin. “Have you read it?”

“This is not about me!” Stiles shook his head furiously. “This is about you rushing off to find Kira and sweep her off her feet heroically!”

“But-”

“Heroically, Scott!” Stiles said firmly, pushing him in the direction of the street. “Now mount your mighty steed and save her!”

“Uh, sure, see you at the school.”

Stiles nodded his head and turned back to the Jeep, his cheeks burning when Malia smirked at him. “I only read the stories for the plot…”


	81. The Eyes Have It

Liam stuffed his bloodied fingers in his jacket pockets, wandering around the hospital corridors aimlessly. He chewed his lip as he looked at a nearby water fountain, wanting to wash his hands, but also not wanting to draw the attention of the doctors and nurses bustling around him. _Freaking hours to kill! Why couldn’t Stiles have just brought me with him? I would’ve waited in the car even, instead of being stuck here…_ Liam sighed and walked away from the fountain, shouldering his way through a fire door and taking the stairs down to the sub-level where it would be quieter. He didn’t like the smell of blood or the scent of fear and panic from all the patients in the ER, it always set his own nerves on edge. 

The corridor to the morgue was deserted and Liam glanced around to make sure he was alone before grinning and sprinting down the vinyl floor and stopping suddenly, making himself skid a few feet, arms outstretched. “Cool.” He grinned and turned around, repeating the action, going a bit further this time, before almost losing his balance and grasping a nearby door handle for support. “Hehe.”

“Bring him through here!”

“Huh?” Liam opened the door and slipped inside as Scott’s Mom and the Sheriff hurried past, supporting a half-conscious Deputy Parrish between them. The werewolf wrinkled his nose as the stench of burnt blood hit him. He waited for them to leave, crouching down and following the group towards the morgue, careful to remain hidden as they brought the injured deputy inside. Liam pressed his ear against the door, just under the glass, hearing Parrish groan and the sound of Stiles’ father pulling out his gun; the smooth release of the strap over the holster and the click of the safety releasing. “Woah!”

“It’s ok, it’s ok.” Melissa whispered, and Liam raised his head a little, seeing the Sheriff lower his gun, Deputy Parrish standing opposite them, his shirt torn and bloody, but his chest seemed fine.

_I don’t understand, what happened?_ Liam’s brows furrowed and he concentrated on what they were saying. _What does Scott have to do with it?_ His eyes widened as Parrish described the monster that had attacked him: massive claws, almost like talons, seeming to have some sort of life-stealing properties. _Stiles should know about this, well, Scott too, but Stiles will know what to do!_ Liam fumbled with his phone, glaring at the low battery sign. “Fuck, ok, it’s only about, err, three miles? I can run that…” The werewolf sighed and turned around, sprinting towards the elevators, no longer concerned about being stealthy. 

 

“So, you good?” Stiles asked as he made his way through the parking lot, the journey to the high school had been utterly silent with Malia just looking out the window, the werecoyote not even speaking when they were stuck in a twenty-minute traffic jam. “Malia?”

“Uh huh.” She grunted.

“Ok,” He sighed, wishing for just a moment that he had werewolf powers. _At least then I’d know if she was worried about summer school or thinking about Lydia’s latest story about Sky-Captain Max and the Cliffs of Erotically Shaped Rocks! That was a good one…especially when his hot identical twin brother arrived-_

“Stiles!”

“Huh? Crap!” Stiles slammed on the brakes, halting the Jeep before he rear-ended Coach’s car, Finstock glaring at him. “Oh shit, that was close.”

“Thinking about Liam?” Malia was looking at him with a curious expression.

“No, why?”

“You just smell-”

“Didn’t we tell you that it was rude to smell other people unless they’re enemies?” Stiles said hurriedly, flushing as he realized what she was picking up. “Uh, anyway, um, take this umbrella, it’s pouring out there.”

“Ok.” She got out and opened the umbrella, hurrying over to the driver’s side to hold it over Stiles as he climbed out. “Here.”

“Thanks, let’s go stand under the canopy until the others get here.” Stiles pointed, and he and Malia dashed across the parking lot, joining the other Seniors. Instead of going inside, he crossed his arms and looked at her. “Are you sure you’re ok? You’ll pass summer school, Malia, don’t worry.”

“I hope so.” She replied shortly, changing the subject quickly. “Why did we leave Liam at the hospital? Is it because he’s still having trouble with the full moon? I smelt the blood.”

“Yeah, I know, he’s working on it, but hasn’t had to use the mantra yet, so that’s progress.” Stiles shrugged, reaching back to stop water drops from going down his shirt. “But Senior Scribe is for Seniors only, it’s a Beacon Hills tradition; meant to bring the class together, I guess. And Liam will have it in two years’ time, but, um…”

“That’s not why you left him behind?”

“No.” He sighed, gesturing around them. “This is my last year in Beacon Hills, next year we’ll all be going off to college-in the same city if everything works out-but Liam won’t. He’ll be here, without me. I didn’t want to remind him of that tonight.”

“I think I understand.” Malia frowned, tilting her head sideways. “I hear something: running, someone is coming towards us fast.”

“Ok, but just because they’re approaching from behind us doesn’t mean-” 

“Ha!” Malia turned quickly, striking out with the flat of her palm, catching Liam in the chest, dropping him to the ground as Stiles cried out in alarm.

“Liam!” 

“Scott’s in trouble…ow.” Liam groaned, looking at Stiles pleadingly. “Help me up?”

“Yeah, I got you.” Stiles grasped his arm and pulled up the soaking wet werewolf as Malia frowned again. “You hear something?”

“Fighting, this way.” She took off at a run.

“I hear it too!” Liam added, holding onto Stiles’ hand as they rushed around the school, heading towards the tunnel that led to the lacrosse fields.

 

Stiles skidded to a halt a little way from where Scott was being hold up by some sort of werewolf, the claws on the man’s other hand were glowing blue. “Fuck!” He muttered, Scott turning to look at them, the monster’s fist buried deep in his chest. “Liam!”

“Rawrr!” Liam roared, no longer fighting the shift as his claws shot out, fangs lowering, yellow eyes turning the rain swept vista into an infrared nightmare. He jumped forward, crouching protectively in front of his boyfriend as he looked over at where Kira had been knocked down next to another werewolf he didn’t recognize. “Stay back!”

“We have to do something!” Stiles cried out, watching as Malia shifted too, his fear dissolving when Scott suddenly stopped choking and grasped the man’s arm, growling in the way only an Alpha could. “Or not.”

“He’s got this.” Liam muttered, watching as Scott stood up, used both hands to splinter his attacker’s arm and twist it out. The Beta’s eyes widened when he saw the long, glowing blue talons emerge from Scott’s chest, just like Parrish had described, before Scott flung them to one side. Glancing back at Stiles, Liam straightened up, the danger passing enough for him to return to his human form as Scott finished crippling his attacker.

“I don’t know who you are or what you thought you were going to do,” Scott glared at him. “But I’ll give you a choice; you can stay, and I’ll break something else, or you can run.”

Stiles frowned in confusion as the monster looked at him and Liam, shaking his head. “I’d run if I were you.”

“Yeah,” Liam snarled, baring his fangs once again. He smirked at Stiles when the man turned and limped away. “We showed him!”

“Haha,” Stiles grinned and ruffled his hair affectionately, moving forward to check on Scott. It was only after Kira joined them that he saw the other werewolf shifting back into his human form. His heart skipped a beat and Stiles felt his stomach summersault when their eyes met, the other teenager appearing to be looking right at him. _Woah, he’s hot._

Liam frowned, glancing between his boyfriend and the newcomer, smelling notes of arousal on the air; he recognised the scent from Stiles, though the other werewolf smelt different; like copper and disinfectant. He wrinkled his nose and moved closer to Stiles, slipping his hand into his boyfriend’s, eyes narrowing when the teenager across from them smirked at him. _What the hell is his problem?!_

“You don’t remember me, do you?” The teen smiled wider, addressing them all, though looking only at Stiles. “I guess I look a little different since the fourth grade?”

“Who-” Liam began, but fell silent when Stiles shook his head sharply.

“Theo?” Scott gasped, staring at him as he nodded.

“You know him?” Malia asked.

“They used to.” Theo grinned again, and Liam clenched his teeth, feeling Stiles’ hand grip his involuntarily. “Trust me, I never thought I’d see you guys again.”

_That is not the guy I remember._ Stiles thought to himself, lips parted as his eyes swept over the werewolf. _Getting bitten has done him a real favor…damn!_ He wrenched his eyes away, feeling Liam move even closer against him, his boyfriend’s claws slipping out and touching against Stiles’ skin. _Crap, he can smell that, Theo too. I need to be careful._ “Uh, hate to break up the reunion, guys, but Senior Scribe is starting soon, we should go.”

“Oh, yeah, right.” Scott nodded, looking at him. “Are you joining us, Theo?”

“Grr.” Liam’s growl was barely audible, but Theo seemed to have heard it, grinning wider at him and Stiles. The Beta felt the shift pull at him again and he fought to control the urge to dash forward and claw that stupid grin off Theo’s face. _I don’t trust you, and I don’t like the way you’re looking at my boyfriend! He’s mine!_

“Ah, no, I’m sure I’ll see you in school tomorrow, I bet we share lots of classes, Stiles.” Theo nodded at him, adding almost as an after-thought. “And you as well, Scott.” He smirked and turned away, walking into the rain.

_Fuck me!_ Stiles stared at his retreating back, eyes fixed on Theo’s head until he vanished in the curtain of rain. It was only when Liam whined at him and pulled on his hand that Stiles turned away, a guilty flush creeping up his neck. “Sorry, what is it?”

“Can I stay with you now?”

“Um, fine, but you’ll still have to wait in the lobby.” Stiles replied distractedly, not seeing Liam’s pout.

“But-”

“Sorry, Liam, it’s tradition.” Scott broke in, glancing at his phone. “C’mon, guys, we’ve only twenty minutes.” The True Alpha gestured for them to leave, nodding at Liam. “Go!”

“Sure.” He muttered, looking at Stiles’ face, seeing his boyfriend deep in thought. _I wish I was a mind reader!_


	82. Suspicions

Stiles followed the others into the school, meeting up with Lydia along the way, Liam trailing along behind him. He glanced at Scott, “Do you believe that was Theo back there?”

“Err, sure?”

“Hmm, he looks different.”

“It’s been a long time, Stiles.” Scott shrugged. “He was just a kid when his sister died, and his family moved.”

“Yeah.” Stiles nodded slowly, mind ticking over, something didn’t feel right. He stopped suddenly, and Liam walked into him. “Hey!”

“Sorry.” 

“Why are you still here? I told you to wait outside.”

“Sorry.” Liam muttered again, feeling Stiles glare at him, but his boyfriend’s scent was distracted, and Liam didn’t think he was mad at him. “It’s wet out there. Can’t I just wait by your locker until we’re done?”

“Fine, yeah, go on.” Stiles nodded sharply. “It takes about twenty minutes.”

“Ok.” Liam watched Stiles leave him behind for the second time that night. He sighed and turned away from the library, heading towards Stiles’ locker, leaning up against the metal door when he got there, his boyfriend’s scent dampening the tendrils of panic that had begun to seep out. _He’s thinking about something, that’s why he’s so distracted and snappy,_ Liam reminded himself, scuffing the top of his sneakers against the floor. _But is it something about the werewolf with the talons? Or something like Theo suddenly arriving? I mean…he was pretty intense-looking with the rain and all behind him. But he smelt weird, like he was around blood a lot._ The werewolf sank down to sit on the ground, looking at the clock as it struck midnight.

 

Stiles pulled into the curb opposite Liam’s house, looking at his boyfriend in the passenger seat. “Are you getting out?”

“I don’t want to.”

“We’ve had this discussion already.” Stiles replied with a yawn, the night’s events weighing on him. “Your step-father made it pretty clear that you can’t stay over on weeknights, even if a giant wolf monster is out to get us! He wants you to sleep in your own bed, remember?”

“I know, but,” Liam glanced at him, “he’ll be in surgery until the morning and my Mom is in Denver on business. There’s no one else at home; you can stay over if you want?”

“It’s nearly two, Liam, you need to sleep for school tomorrow.”

“And you don’t?”

“Not tonight.” Stiles’ expression became more serious. “There are…things I need to check out. Scott might be ok with believing that we really just met Theo Raeken back there, but I’m not so sure.”

“So, what does that have to do with not sleeping?” Liam frowned. “I don’t get it. Are you suspicious of him because you think he’s…um, hot?”

“What?!”

“I noticed, Stiles.”

“Yeah, well, just because, it’s,” Stiles spluttered, gesturing wildly. “That’s not why!”

“Uh huh.” Liam clicked his tongue sceptically.

“Wait, are you jealous?”

“No.”

“Huh, who’s lying now?” Stiles smirked and reached over to take Liam’s hand in his own. “Look, we’re both…I was gonna say ‘human’, but I think it might be more appropriate to say that we’re both gay, that means we sometimes look at other guys and think they’re hot. But that doesn’t mean anything is going to happen, Liam.”

“Right.” He stared at the glove box sullenly.

“I wasn’t going to bring this up, but, uh, you remember last semester, just before we got summer vacation, and we were with Mason at that soccer match between Hill Valley Hellions and the Beacon Hills Bandits?”

“What?!” Liam turned bright red, shaking his head furiously as Stiles continued to speak. “Don’t-”

“And you said to me, I quote, ‘Hey look at the captain of our team!’” Stiles grinned wider as his boyfriend squirmed in his seat. “So, I look over and there’s Ryder Gibbson pulling his shirt off to exchange with the Hellion captain, rippling abs that would make Brett jealous and a smile that made you fucking _swoon_ when he grinned at you after the game!”

“I hate you.” The werewolf groaned, hiding his face in his hands.

“Haha, so, don’t worry, Liam, I get where this is coming from.” Stiles ruffled his hair affectionately and kissed his cheek. “I don’t not trust Theo Raeken because he’s handsome, I’m suspicious because something feels off about him. I’m not sure what that is yet, but I will find it.”

“You know I wasn’t going to do anything about Ryder, right?” Liam looked at him, his cheeks still flushed. “And you were a dick to suggest he hang out with us after the game!”

“He’s in my AP World History class,” Stiles smirked again, gesturing towards Liam’s empty house. “Time for bed, Liam.”

“Hmm.” He groaned, but relented, moving across the handbrake to kiss Stiles properly. _I don’t know why you said those two things in the one sentence, all I’m going to thinking about tonight is you…_ “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night, pup.” Stiles waited as Liam dashed across the street in the pouring rain, not leaving until his boyfriend had got inside and closed the door. “Now, let’s see what we can find out about you, Theo…”

 

Stiles frowned at the screen of his laptop, tapping the side of his face as he scanned through Theo Raeken’s Facebook page, his Twitter had been full of memes and gamer tweets, with the occasional retweet from Gaytube. _As if I needed that to tell me he likes guys._ He continued scrolling, but there wasn’t much of a social media presence; a few friends from across the country, several photos of Theo himself, one from when he joined the site, looking a lot younger than his most recent one. “Hair flipped back and shirt open, like a freakin’ model.” Stiles growled, feeling his eyes itch. 

“Ok,” He pushed the lid down and stood up, pacing around the room as he spoke. “Ok, so, Theo and his family moved after his sister died in the woods, the obit was a bit sketchy on the details, family asking for privacy. I’ll have to wait until after five before I log into the police servers to check that out…they’re getting smarter with that new firewall.” Stiles paused and took a deep swig of coffee, picking up a sheet of paper where he had listed everything he knew. “After that, I’ve got Facebook and other social media posts from the past four years all over the south-western United States, some pictures too, but never enough background details to make an ID on the location. And he wiped the metadata, maybe just tech savvy, but that's kinda suspicious too."

Stiles froze when he thought he heard the front door open, but after a moment of stillness, the house was quiet again, no steps on the stairs that might indicate his father was home. “Probably just coffee jitters,” He dismissed it and resumed pacing. “Big thing is Theo becoming a werewolf; I need to find out when that happened, who his Alpha is or was. If he’s here in Beacon Hills, Theo is either an Omega or ran from his pack, wouldn’t be the first stray we’ve taken in…And his eyes were yellow, I saw that, so, he hasn’t killed anyone yet.” 

The teenager sighed and sat on the edge of his bed, “I’m missing something, I can feel it. Well, I don’t have enough access to all the databases to run a national comparison, hmm…” He checked his phone, seeing it tick closer to dawn and nodded. “I can check the remote server files for old cases, see if anything shakes loose. That crash course with Danny really helped, though I better not try and get into Social Services again…” Stiles grinned and sat behind his laptop once more, draining his cup of coffee and flexing his fingers. “Give me your secrets!”


	83. Digging

Liam pulled open the door of the Jeep with a tired groan, yawning and mumbling his hello to Stiles as he threw himself into the passenger seat. 

“Hey pup!”

“Ugh.”

“Early start, right?” Stiles grinned at him, dark shadows under his slightly too-wide eyes. “I know, I know, we got forty minutes until school starts, but I need to talk to my Dad before he gets off the night shift, can’t quite get everything I need from the police servers.”

“Um, ok.” Liam frowned at his boyfriend as Stiles continued to speak as though they had just been interrupted in the middle of a conversation. He pulled his seat belt on hurriedly when Stiles reversed out the drive and swung the Jeep around violently, the tires screeching. “Oh my god…”

“Don’t worry, we’ll make up the time we miss!”

“Huh?”

“From school, if we have to,” Stiles shrugged, but Liam still frowned. “Doesn’t matter!” He floored the accelerator and the Jeep roared forward with a loud splutter of resistance from the engine.

“Why are we talking to your Dad?” Liam asked as Stiles reached for the steel thermos wedged into the cup holder, drinking the coffee inside with an eager gulp. His nostrils twitched as he smelt the concentrated essence of the liquid. “Wait, have you been up all night?”

“Yeah, so?” Stiles swerved around a parked bus and pulled into the other lane to overtake. “You can’t just stop there, asshole!”

“That’s a school bus, ah!” Liam cried out, covering his eyes as another car blasted their horn at him. “Stiles, just calm down. Is this about Theo?”

“Well, who else would it be about?” He replied, giving the oncoming car’s driver a death stare and pulling back into his lane with inches to spare. “I’ve been researching him since I got home; reasonable social media presence, but almost nothing about extended family and tenuous connections to his so-called ‘friends.’ I’m thinking they’re also made up, but I haven’t had time to prove that yet.”

“Err, ok.”

“And then there’s his sister’s death; the police report is complete, but, I don’t know, something is bugging me about it.” Stiles added as he took the turn off for the Sheriff’s Station, ignoring the right of way and cutting across the lanes as Liam threw his arms up in front of his face. “So, yeah, that Theo might be Theo, but at the same time, I’m highly suspicious that it is Theo. Got it?”

“Uh,” Liam stared at him, completely lost. 

“Right.” Stiles took his silence for understanding and stopped outside the door of the station. “Let’s go.”

“Stiles, you can’t park here.” Liam grabbed his sleeve and pulled his boyfriend back into the car. “You’re blocking the entrance!”

“What? Oh. Fine, fine.” He sighed and rolled the Jeep forward a few feet. “Happy? Good, c’mon!”

Liam shook his head in exasperation but climbed out of the vehicle and hurried after him anyway. _No sleep since yesterday morning? And we didn’t exactly do much sleeping that night either. I better keep an eye on him in case-_

“Liam!” 

“Coming!”

 

“Ah! Dad!” Stiles shouted out when he entered the Sheriff’s Station, ignoring the stares of the other deputies to rush across the room to where his father was pouring a cup of coffee. Liam followed him inside and Stiles grinned disarmingly. “Hey Dad!”

“What are you doing here?” The Sheriff sighed, looking around Stiles at Liam. “Why aren’t you at school? Both of you?”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re on our way, but I got a favor I gotta ask from you first: I need a background check: local, state, national, all databases. It’s for this guy, this, uh, Raeken, that’s the name!” Stiles stumbled over his words in his rush to get them out, following the Sheriff around the room and into his office. “That’s the family name, but, it’s Theo I’m interested in, well, I mean, interested as in he’s hiding something, ultra-suspicious, and I know his family-and him, of course- they moved outta Beacon Hills about seven, eight years ago, after his sister died, but I really need-”

“Stiles! Woah, woah!” The Sheriff held up his hands, stopping his son’s unending torrent of words. “Slow down, take a breath, and then turn around and go to school.”

“I just need you to do a background check, Dad, that’s all I’m asking for!”

“Please go to school?” He glanced at Liam. “Have you nothing to add to get him to go to school?”

“Um, not really.” The werewolf looked at Stiles when his boyfriend’s intense, bloodshot eyes found him. “Uh, except that Stiles wouldn’t lose a night’s sleep over this guy if he wasn’t dangerous or suspicious. It was really convenient how Theo just showed up last night when Scott was fighting a monster, though.”

“I don’t think-”

“Hey!” Stiles cut across him and glared at his father. “What’s changed? Something is different about you. What is it?”

“Nothing, what are you talking about?!” The Sheriff returned the frown, before stepping back suddenly when Stiles grabbed Liam and shoved him forward.

“Can you tell what’s different about him, pup?!” Stiles demanded, his hands grasping Liam’s shoulders, steering the werewolf to and fro. “You can’t hide from the awesome scenting powers of Beacon Hills’ greatest tracker, Dad!”

“Oh, for god’s sake, stop!” The Sheriff threw up his hands, raising his voice. “Stiles, release him now!”

“Fine.” He did so, Liam stepping back against him, his arms wrapping around the younger teen’s chest instead. “But I still want that background check.”

“I don’t have time. And besides, this Theo kid is a werewolf, right? What’s to worry about?”

“He could be a bad werewolf!” Siles cried, turning half around and grinning. “But if you don’t have time, I know someone who’s been stuck on desk duty for six months!”

 

Liam tugged on the back of Stiles’ shirt when he moved too close to Parrish again, lingering over his shoulder as the Deputy typed. He could see the way the young man stiffened every time Stiles invaded his personal space to read the screen, his scent spiking into nervousness and an undercurrent of irritation. “Stiles, give him room.”

“I am, I’m just trying to see what we got!” Stiles grinned excitedly, talking to Parrish again. “So, nothing national, right?”

“No, I’m not picking up anything.” The Deputy frowned as he clicked on another box, results filtering down the screen. “And nothing state-wide either; that’s across Federal and DEA databases.”

“What about Homeland Security? Military?”

“We don’t have access to that.” Parrish dodged the question with a half shrug. “I’d need a special wavier, but, oh, hang on.”

“You got something?!” Stiles looked back at Liam with a grin, his scent filling with happiness. “I knew it! I knew he wasn’t clean! What is it? Murder?!”

“Err, no, it’s-”

“Oh, oh, kidnapping? Gun-running? Armed robbery?!”

“Speeding.” Parrish replied flatly, printing out a copy of the report for them. “His father was caught eight years ago for doing seventy in a sixty zone. But that’s it, no other records for ‘Raeken.’ Happy now?”

“It’s a start,” Stiles muttered darkly, eyes sweeping over the print out. “Thank you, Deputy.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Liam nodded and pulled Stiles away, “C’mon, we’re gonna be late for school!”

 

“It’s all coming together!” Stiles whispered as they got back into the Jeep and he started the engine. “Can’t you feel it, Liam? This is the thread we can pull on and make everything unravel!”

“Uh, how?”

“Well, ok, so, we have a speeding ticket, right?” He glanced at his boyfriend, and pressed on the accelerator, rushing past the waiting line of cars at the junction, ignoring the wave of angry beeps that erupted behind him. “Ask yourself this, pup, who speeds?”

“Um.” Liam looked pointedly at the gauge on Stiles’ dashboard as the needle inched closer to eighty. “Well-”

“People trying to get away from things! Criminals, Liam!”

“That seems a bit flimsy.” He muttered, feeling Stiles glare at him. “Well, it’s just, people speed for all types of reasons, like being late for school.”

“Yeah, ok, ok, I’ll give you that.” Stiles admitted, skidding through the entrance to the parking lot and narrowly avoiding a group of screaming Freshman girls, yelling out his window, “You should be on the sidewalk!”

“That was the sidewalk…”

“So, maybe the speeding ticket is only part of the puzzle.” Stiles replied, ignoring Liam’s comment. He killed the engine as the Jeep rocked to a halt in a parking spot near the front. “We have, err, ten minutes before homeroom. See, I told you we’d be fine!”

“That’s because you made it from the Sheriff’s Station to the school in _four_ minutes!” Liam glared at him. “I don’t care if we find out that Theo is a mass-werewolf murdering cannibal, you are getting eight hours of sleep tonight!”

“Fine, ok.” Stiles sighed and hugged Liam to him as they walked away from the Jeep. “Sorry if I scared you. I just, I’m telling you, Liam, something about the Raekens isn’t adding up.”

“Well, what if you just ask him?” Liam asked, turning along with Stiles as they watched a silver car pull up to the curb nearby. “You and Scott were his friends back when he was here. Ask him questions, find his story. Scott will be able to tell if he’s lying and you can cross-reference everything.”

“You, my pup, are super-smart!” Stiles grinned at him and kissed Liam hard, pulling away as the werewolf flushed and smiled back. He looked up in time to see Theo get out of the car and wave at them. Liam glanced at Stiles and they both nodded carefully at the other werewolf, Theo grinning widely for some reason. “That is a great idea, Liam. Now, I’m gonna need more coffee!”

“Why don’t you just inject it into your arms this time?” Liam muttered, walking alongside him as they made their way across the quad. 

“That…is probably not such a great idea.” Stiles’ face had lit up for a moment before the expression dimmed and he shook his head. “Right?”

“No, Stiles, it’s _not_ a good idea!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember, speeding is bad! Don't follow Stiles' example!


	84. The Werewolf Polygraph

Liam glanced over his shoulder as he walked towards the main building, seeing Stiles deep in conversation with Malia, trying to explain about Theo, one hand gesturing wildly, the other holding the thermos of coffee, taking a sip every few seconds. _He’ll be fine, and I’m nearly late for World History! Gotta make a good start to the year…_ He smiled his greeting at Mason and joined his best friend as they entered the classroom, Mason sitting first and leaving Liam with the option of sitting next to…Hayden. “Oh.”

She glanced at him, brows quirked, chewing a stick of bubble-gum.

“Hi…” Liam mumbled, looking around for another seat, any other seat, his mind flashing back to the previous full moon, he had only glimpses of what had occurred, but Mason had _helpfully_ filled him in afterwards. He had hoped not to run into Hayden, well, never would have been too soon, but Liam would have settled for third period at least. 

“Liam?” Mr Yukimura looked at him expectantly. “You’re not just going to stand there, are you?”

“Maybe.” He nodded, casting his eyes around in desperation for anywhere else he could sit. _I bet if Mason budged over we could both sit_

“The whole semester?”

“Maybe!” Liam nodded again, cheeks burning as the rest of the class sniggered at him and Mason stared.

“Liam, have a seat.” Mr Yukimura gestured at the chair and turned to begin writing again. “Let’s get started…”

Liam sank unwillingly into the chair, sliding his books on the table, and glanced longingly at the door. He frowned suddenly as the scent of strawberries wafted up from beneath him, and the werewolf attempted to turn and look at Hayden, feeling an unusual level of friction between his jeans and the chair. “What the…?” Hayden smirked at him coolly when Liam lifted his ass up, seeing her bubble-gum affixed to both the chair and the seat of his pants. “You…” Liam glared at her, ignoring Mason’s surprised gasp.

 

“So, Liam, had a good summer?”

“Yeah.” He grunted, glaring at Hayden when she came over to his locker after class. “Why?”

“I did too, except for the part where I swore I saw you running naked through Beacon Hills.”

“Uh, you’re wrong.” Liam replied lamely, using the edge of his library card to scrape the gum off his pants. “This is so gross!”

“Where were you last month on, oh, the twentieth?” Hayden ignored his comment and shut the door on him. “Well?”

“I don’t remember, why would I?” 

“It was only a month ago,” She grinned and spoke louder. “Are you a nudist, Liam?!”

“What? No! I,” He glared at Mason and gripped his bag hard, the urge to shift hitting him hard; a lack of sleep and the suspicion about Theo colliding together. “Hey, don’t we have that thing?”

“Huh? Oh, err, yeah.” Mason nodded slowly as Liam grabbed his arm and dragged him away. He gestured to Hayden and whispered, “I’ll call you later!”

“What was that?” Liam hissed. “Are you two best friends now?”

“Um, maybe?” Mason shrugged, “I thought you guys were good, and I have been tutoring her.”

“Hmm. She doesn’t seem to have gotten over sixth grade.” He moved towards the locker room. “Good job I brought my lacrosse gear, huh?”

“Those shorts will do nothing for your ass though!”

“My ass is just fine.” Liam gave Mason a death glare and sighed, “Your new BFF didn’t leave me much choice!”

“Mmh, I probably should’ve warned you that she was vengeful.” Mason tried to hide his grin, “Don’t worry, I’m sure it’s nothing compared to the Berserkers or the Benefactor or whatever else is out there!” He slapped a hand on Liam’s shoulders and they entered the locker room together. 

“Yeah, I suppose, I…” Liam trailed off, confronted with a sea of half-naked soccer players, their lean figures and tight abs revealed as they seemed to constantly be bending over. He wet his lips and made his way to his locker, smirking as he caught the scent of Mason’s instant arousal. “Don’t look too hard or your eyes are gonna fall out!”

 

“Go on.” Stiles gestured for Theo to enter first, Scott following him in, allowing Stiles to close the door after a quick check that Coach was out. “Scott, you want to take point?”

“Point?” Theo frowned at them as Stiles walked around the lockers to lean against the ones furthest from the other werewolf. “What is this?”

“You might remember that my Dad is a cop; he’s the Sheriff now.” Stiles replied, nodding when Scott stood opposite Theo. “And you didn’t exactly tell us a lot last night, so I did a bit of digging.”

“Yeah? What did you find?” Theo flashed him a quick grin, eyes bright and teeth a little too white. 

“Hmm, nothing criminal.” Stiles shrugged, “Though I’m sure you know by now that werewolves can read each other’s heartbeats and smell when someone is lying?”

“Uh huh.” Theo glanced at Scott. “Is that why the True Alpha is here and not your boyfriend?”

“Observant.”

“You know that I’m the True Alpha?” Scott asked, surprise making his brows arch. “Is that why you came back?”

“Partly.” Theo smirked, shrugging aimlessly. “You can’t imagine my surprise when I heard _who_ it was.”

“Hang on,” Stiles lifted his hand to stem to flow of conversation. “Let’s start from the beginning, and we’ll do this properly. I want to ask you three control questions to establish the baseline.”

“What is this, the FBI?” Theo grinned, but nodded eagerly. “I’m game!”

“What’s your full name?”

“Theodore Fredrick Raeken.”

“Uh huh.” Scott nodded. 

“Easy one,” Stiles folded his arms, eyes not leaving Theo’s face, watching for micro-expressions. “How old were you when you left Beacon Hills?”

“Uh, nine or ten.”

“Which?”

“Nine,” Theo answered after a moment, his brow wrinkling. “I remember because we had my tenth birthday party just after we moved, and all my friends were back here.”

“Yeah.” Scott nodded again when Stiles glanced his way.

“Ok, ok, yeah,” He smiled suddenly. “So, um, Theo, what’s the thing you most like to retweet?”

The other werewolf stared at him, the beginnings of a flush spreading up his neck and his eyes had widened slightly. “Um, you really want me to answer that, Stiles?”

“I do.”

“Fine,” Theo huffed, looking at the ground. “It’s porn, alright? Gay porn! You happy now?”

“ _Immeasurably._ ” Stiles drawled, seeing Scott look away from him in embarrassment. “Was he telling the truth?”

“Yeah, he was.”

“Weirdo.” Theo muttered, looking at Stiles with a frown. “Any other questions you want ask me? Like, what pattern my trunks are? They’re blue with yellow bananas on them, just so you know!” 

“I’m gonna need evidence for that.” 

“Uh, why don’t we get back on track, guys?” Scott asked, and Stiles shrugged.

“Sure, sorry.”

“Theo, why don’t you start from the beginning? When did you get bit? Where’s your pack?” The Alpha fixed him with a stare and Theo’s eyes returned to him, leaving Stiles free to watch the werewolf carefully, seeing the way he leaned casually against the locker, fingers in his pockets, but thumbs left out, pointing towards his crotch. “We’re listening.”

 

“I was a terrible skateboarder.” Theo said with a chuckle after he had explained that they moved around a lot because of his father’s job. “But I was really determined to land this one trick, so I could show off to my friends at school.”

“What friends?” Stiles interjected.

“A guy I liked.”

“Ok,” Scott nodded, “Continue.”

“Well, anyway, it was getting late, the neighbor’s lights were on and I was nearly there; able to land the handplant, but I kept messing up the dismount.” Theo spoke, wetting his lips and flicking his gaze between Stiles and Scott. “I’m falling on my ass and then I realize that I never heard the board drop.”

“Someone else was there?” Stiles held his gaze for a moment, unable to tell if Theo was being truthful.

“The Alpha who bit me, yup.” Theo nodded. “But it wasn’t just him; he had this big group of others, Betas and a pack, as I learned later. They were all pretty young, my age or there about, um, and then, well, so, he came down into the empty pool, and like, I thought I was gonna die.”

“Why?”

“He had these insane eyes; I was thinking, contacts, right?” Theo shrugged. “Like, maybe they were a biker gang or something, and then I see these…claws in his hand, they didn’t look like knives, they didn’t look like anything but fucking claws, dude, and he’s reaching for me, and I’m backing up. But his goon squad are behind me, grabbing me; two freaking twelve-year olds, built like twigs and they’re able to pick me up off the ground like I’m nothing.”

“You’re pretty buff.” Stiles agreed, flicking his eyes across the expanse of skin Theo had displayed from his open jacket. “How do you know they were twelve?”

“I learned it afterwards.” Theo replied, continuing his story. “So, the leader, he ripped my t-shirt in two and then his mouth filled with fangs and he bit me, right here.” He lifted up his shirt to show them his smooth, tanned skin and ab muscles clenching when he breathed in. “See?”

“Uh huh.” Stiles swallowed, seeing Scott glance at him and offer the tiniest of nods. _Truth then._ “Ok, Theo, let’s say we believe you, why aren’t you with that pack?”

“I was, for a about a month.” He shrugged, letting his clothes fall over his stomach again. “My parents even reported me missing, part of the reason why they wanted to come back to Beacon Hills actually. You can check it, I’m sure?”

“You can bet on it.” Stiles nodded, _Now, why didn’t that show up in the background search? Maybe a sealed record?_ “Did the Alpha let you go?”

“No, not exactly, and I didn’t kill my way out either.” Theo replied, letting his eyes glow yellow for a moment. “In case you didn’t see it last night.”

“We’re just being careful, Theo.” Scott said. “After everything that’s happened here, it’s just a precaution.”

“I get that.” The Omega sighed, glancing at him. “I’m sorry I snapped, Stiles. Um, so, the pack was basically a criminal gang; thievery, vandalism, assault in some cases. I’m not proud of that, but you have to understand, the Alpha would have killed us if we didn’t do what he told us to!”

“Sounds serious,” Stiles looked at him hard. “How did you get out?”

“Two of the Betas trapped him,” Theo muttered. “And they killed him, the rest of the pack scattered; some followed those two, I guess one was the new Alpha, I don’t know, but the rest of us went home, and, well, that’s it.”

“Uh, damn, Theo!” Scott exclaimed, patting him on the arm. “Sounds like you didn’t have it any easier than us.”

_You’re not supposed to touch the suspect, Scott!_ Stiles frowned at him, his fingers tapping absently on his pocket. _But a crime gang like that, even supernatural, would have left some evidence behind them, I’ll check it out later. Though…no, I’m still not convinced; he’s hiding something else. Scott’s bought into his story, I can see that._

“We good here?” Theo glanced at him, a smirk forming on his lips. “ _Deputy Stiles?_ ”

“Aha,” He laughed shortly and shrugged. “For now, but I’ll be verifying your story, Theo, don’t go too far.”

“Wasn’t planning on it.” The werewolf flicked his eyes over him obviously, biting his lip, and turned away. 

“Hmm.” 

“Stiles, what-”

“Wait.” Stiles cut Scott off, counting silently to twenty before nodding. “He’s gone, right?”

“Yeah.” Scott frowned. “Do you still not trust him? Who’d make up that story?”

“Someone with a lot to hide and knows that a simple explanation wouldn’t cut it.” He shook his head. “There’s a lot of moving parts, but definitely some I can investigate more. For example, the background check Parrish ran earlier didn’t flag any sealed records for him, and no missing person report. Huh.”

“What?”

“We could be looking at this all wrong.” Stiles gestured for Scott to follow him, stifling a yawn as they exited into the busy hallways. “I think I know what might be going on, but I need to verify the signature first.”

“What signature?” Scott grabbed his arm, arresting his progress. “What are you talking about, Stiles?” 

“The signature, Scott!” Stiles gestured wildly at him, “Don’t you…gah! Where’s Liam?”

 

“This is a terrible idea.” Mason groaned, spreading his books out on the bleachers next to Liam. “Why are we doing this?”

“Because it’s better than sitting inside and wondering how Hayden is going to embarrass me next?” Liam grinned at him, “Plus, you’re done with Brett, you’ve have your rebound, let’s move away from lacrosse players and get you an awesome soccer star!”

“They do have great abs.” Mason nodded in agreement, watching as the guys warmed up, kicking the ball to one another. “How do you know that any of them play for _our_ team though? Wait, is that like, a secret werewolf superpower?!” 

“Uh, no? I don’t think so?” Liam smirked, hearing the excitement in his best friend’s voice. “But I know that captain Ryder is one of ours.”

“Really?”

“Yup.” Liam leaned back against the seats and looked up, seeing the clouds part and the sun come out. “Your lucky hour has just arrived, Mason!”

“Yeah, it has!” He grinned and hunched forward, eyes sweeping the pitch as the soccer players stopped and followed the captain’s lead, florescent shirts peeled off muscular bodies. “Man, what I’d give to be invisible in that locker room!”

“Mmh, hmm.” Liam laughed to himself, before straightening up, smelling his boyfriend’s approach. “Uh, looks like I might have to bail, Stiles is coming this way, hmm, his scent is all over the place.”

“What?!” Mason stared at him, alarmed. “But with you here, it actually looks like I’m studying, alone I’ll be a total creeper!”

“Sorry, dude, anchor trumps best friend!”


	85. Stakeout

“Are you sure about this, Stiles?” Liam hissed from his crouched position at the door. “We could get into serious trouble!”

“Relax and watch for when the Administrator returns!” Stiles whispered back. “She only takes twenty minutes of a lunch break, and these files are a mess!” He grumbled to himself, flipping through the color-coded folders. “I need the newest files, his transfer papers should have only arrived a few days ago…hmm, ahh, gotcha!”

“You have them?” Liam glanced over his shoulder, seeing his boyfriend nod and scan the paperwork. “Don’t read it, just get a copy and let’s go!”

“I got this, pup, not the first time I’ve been in here.” 

“That is not comforting.”

“Haha,” Stiles chuckled, nodding as he looked at Theo’s father’s signature. “Interesting, very interesting.” He heard Liam’s yelp before the werewolf spoke.

“Someone’s coming!”

“Distract them while I print this out.” Stiles ordered, darting over to the photocopier and tapping the buttons. “Go!”

“Fuck.” Liam muttered, standing up and moving to intercept the Administrator before she could enter the office. “Um, Mrs Roches?”

“Yes?”

“Uh, I have a, err, scheduling problem,” Liam mumbled, inching around so he could see the door to the office. “And, um, if you could get me an appointment to figure that out?”

“The principal doesn’t deal with scheduling issues, you should really talk to the guidance counsellor.” Mrs Roches made to leave but Liam’s hand shot out and grabbed her arm. “Oh!”

“No!” Liam wailed, cheeks burning as she stared at him in alarm. _Where are you, Stiles?!_ “I can’t, I can’t wait that long! You don’t understand! No one understands me!”

“Ok, ok, Mr Dunbar, Liam, right?” She waved her hands in the air as the other students gaped at him. “Just calm down, and let’s go inside, I’m sure there’s something I can do, or someone I can call.”

“It’s just so unfair!” Liam cried out even louder, flailing his arms about like Stiles sometimes did. “Gum on my chair! Calling me a nudist! Where does it end?! WHERE?!” He looked over her shoulder through blurred eyes to see the door of the Admin Office open and Stiles slide out, gesturing to him to follow. Liam swallowed and sniffed, wiping his eyes as Mrs Roches watched him slack-jawed. “Um, I’d like to thank you for your participation in the new Beacon Hills Improv Drama Club, you’ve been great! See ya!” With that, Liam dashed down the hall after Stiles.

 

“I can’t believe you did that.”

“You were taking forever!” Liam glared at him, sitting on one of the benches in the locker room. “It had better be worth me embarrassing myself in front of everyone, Stiles.”

“It is.” He grinned, laying out two pieces of paper and tapping the signatures on both of them. “This is the proof we’ve been looking for, enough to confirm that something is off about Theo, or his parents at least.”

“His parents?” The werewolf frowned, looking over Stiles’ shoulder at the paper. “I don’t understand.”

“See? The loop of the ‘r’ and the down stroke of the ‘k’!” Stiles said excitedly. “Criminal tremor! Absolutely positive! I knew it!”

“But-”

“C’mon! We need to find Scott and the others!” Stiles exclaimed, talking over him. He gathered up the pages in one hand and used the other to type out a message to his best friend. “Let’s go, Liam!”

“You seem particularly manic right now,” Liam mumbled, grabbing both their bags and following him out of the locker room. “Are you sure you have enough to go on? From what you said about the interview with Theo earlier, Scott trusts him already, and he’s not gonna believe you without solid evidence.”

“This _is_ evidence, this is the perfect evidence! Ah, to the library!” He turned abruptly and walked rapidly towards the building, Liam jogging to keep up with him. “And I’m not manic, Lydia got me a triple-shot mochaccino, so I’m full of energy!”

“Yeah,” Liam shook his head at him. “I can tell.”

“We’re gonna need it for later, once Scott agrees, and he totally will, we need to confront Theo about his parents as soon as possible!”

“Parents?”

“Yes, Liam, _parents,_ keep up! That’s Theo’s secret, they’re clearly evildoers,” Stiles brandished the papers under his nose. “And most likely some kind of supernaturals too, hell-bent on infiltrating the school and our pack. I lived through Ethan and Aiden, pup, and I am not going through that shit again!”

“Err, ok.” Liam nodded as they entered the library, lowering his voice and pointing over to a table near the window. “There they are.”

“Yes,” Stiles stopped and turned to him, eyes narrowed and fevered. “You’re going to support me on this, right, Liam?”

“Of course!” He gripped Stiles’ wrist and nodded seriously. “I’ll always have your back.”

“Ok, let’s show them.” Stiles walked over to where Scott was studying with Malia and Kira, nodding at them when they looked up. He wet his lips and placed the two forms down on the table, arching his brows conspiratorially. “Told you, told you I’d find something!”

“Err, yeah?” Scott glanced at him and Liam, “Stiles, is-”

“Concrete evidence that there’s something going on here, Scott, _concrete!_ ” Stiles pointed at the forms again, his hand shaking from the caffeine racing through his body. “Ok, so, you see it, right? You see it, Scott?!”

“Uh, there are two forms?”

“But don’t you see the differences? Look at the two signatures, completely different, dude!” Stiles pressed his lips together as he realized they didn’t get it. “Ok! Ok! So, look here! Look! This form is from the speeding ticket that Theo’s Dad got eight years ago, now this one, on the left is Theo’s Dad’s signature on his transfer papers. Right? You see it now?”

“Um, no?”

“They’re different, Scott! The man’s an imposter, now I’m not saying that Theo’s an imposter, but this is grounds for an investigation, for a, a, we need to grab him! And then we-” 

“Stiles,” Scott looked at him calmly. “They’re the exact same.”

“No, they’re different!”

“They’re a little…different.” Malia offered, shrugging at him.

“They’re completely different!” Liam glared at her, nodding when Scott raised a brow at him. “Really look at them, Scott.”

“I know you’re just being loyal, Liam, but there’s nothing here.” The Alpha said, expression tightening when Liam’s eyes flashed yellow. “Control yourself, I’m allowed to disagree with him.”

“It’s fine, pup.” Stiles huffed, gathering up the forms. “We’ll just have to find more proof for them!”

“Stiles-”

“No, Scott!” He cried out as the librarian glared, “I don’t need you, I’ll figure it out with Liam!”

“Err, yeah, what he said!” Liam shrugged and followed Stiles again. _What happened to a quiet first day back? And why am I always running after him?_ “Hey, wait up!”

 

“Um, Stiles? Can I ask you something without you freaking out?” Liam looked at him carefully as his boyfriend started his Jeep, his glare slicing through the dashboard.

“What?”

“What exactly is this criminal tremor?”

“It’s a tiny shake in the person’s writing that’s evidence of wrong-doing.” Stiles replied calmly after taking a few deep breaths. “There’s evidence in those signatures that would prove Theo’s Dad isn’t who he says he is.”

“Why don’t we show the Sheriff?”

“My Dad’s asleep; he’s on nights all this week, and I don’t want to disturb him until I’m absolutely sure. If Scott had agreed to grab Theo and we had gotten the truth outta him, then, yeah, next stop would be my house with strong coffee.” Stiles gripped the back of his neck, massaging the sore muscles. His eyes were burning, and everything felt slightly less real than it should. _Too much time awake, Liam was right this morning, I gotta catch some sleep tonight. But for right now…_ “Well, we’ll get the coffee anyway.”

“I thought we agreed you’d had enough?” Liam looked at him, expression soft, eyes filling with concern. “Besides, aren’t you going to come over to my house if your Dad is asleep?”

“No, I’m not done with Theo just yet. I have his address from the transfer papers,” Stiles grinned at his boyfriend and threw the Jeep into reverse, backing out and swinging the vehicle around, engine roaring. “Either he’s gone home, and we’ll find him there, or we’ll wait for him to come back and see what evil plans he and his folks are up to. My money is on Wendigos…”

“Wen-what?!” Liam stared, buckling in quickly as Stiles screeched to a halt to let a group of Freshmen cross the street. “Wait, is this a stakeout?”

“Yeah, will be.”

“Oh, cool! We need to go to Dunkin Donuts!”

“Err-”

“No, c’mon, Stiles!” Liam looked at him, eyes widening and lips beginning to pout. “Please?”

“Ugh, fine.” _Like I could resist that expression._ Stiles nodded, taking a right, “Just make sure you get me coffee with as many shots as they’re willing to give you. I can take fourteen before I OD.”

“How do you know that?” Liam stared at him, not noticing as Stiles mounted the curb to avoid a mother of four shepherding her children away from the speeding Jeep. “Wait, how many shots have you had already?”

“We’re meant to be investigating Theo, remember?” Stiles shook his head, dismissing the question. _Err, am I at ten or eight? I can’t remember, never mind, I’m so close to a breakthrough, I can feel it, it’ll be worth the overdose!_

 

“He’s been playing _Call of Duty_ for hours…” Liam groaned, looking over at Stiles, watching his boyfriend twiddling the knob on the top of the night-vision binoculars glued to his eyes. The werewolf patted his stomach and groaned again. “I don’t feel so good, Stiles.”

“Yeah, well, you did decide to eat all twelve one after another, pup. Those were meant to be shared.” Stiles answered, moving his binoculars to the left as Theo got up and stretched. “Hmm, he’s on the move.”

“I thought my werewolf healing stopped me getting fat!”

“It doesn’t stop indigestion, apparently.” He wet his lower lip and frowned. “Uh, this is getting creepy; he just took off his pants, but yup, Theo was telling the truth about those trunks, nice bananas.” Stiles lowered the eyeglasses and glanced at Liam’s upset face. “I have a tube of peppermints in the glove box, that’ll settle your stomach.”

“Uh, thanks.” Liam pulled them out and tossed three into his mouth. “Do you really think Theo is up to something?”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Stiles shrugged, “But I know that his parents aren’t who they say they are. We saw them coming in, remember? She looked too nervous, but not afraid, more like someone covering up something for someone else. And the man too, same oddness; not fear, but not right either. Theo is the only one who seems normal, and even then, he’s almost too nice.”

“Like his body?” Liam smirked and pointed at the window, the Omega having turned his back on the Xbox and faced them for a moment. “I’m the Beta of a True Alpha, and I don’t even have pecs like that!”

“Liam, c’mon, you’re perfect.” Stiles grinned at him and kissed his lips lightly. “Mmh, you still have frosting on your face! I would have liked to try the cherry glaze donut.” 

“Sorry,” He sat back down, wiping the sugar from his chin. “Oh, wait, I hear the car outside the house starting.”

“Yeah, I see it, that’s Theo and one seriously suspicious package.” Stiles nodded, turning the key in the Jeep, but keeping his lights off, only edging out into the quiet, suburban street when Theo had reached the middle of the road. “We need to stay back so he doesn’t notice. Standard procedure is to leave two cars between us.”

“I got him.” Liam sat up and chewed the rest of the mints furiously, “Turn right.”

 

“Hmm,” Stiles followed the other car at a distance, Liam’s directions keeping him on Theo’s trail even as the other cars on the road petered out and they began to travel down a familiar path. “He’s heading towards the Preserve, better call Scott and have him on standby, he probably won’t come, but-”

“Voicemail.” Liam shrugged apologetically. “I’ll try him again.”

“Leave it for now, Theo’s turning off on the Southern Access Road, I can’t risk following him there, he’ll totally make us.” Stiles grumbled, “Ok, I’ll get us to the Eastern Access Road and we can track him back from there, to whatever heinous crime he and his parents are planning!”

“Uh, yeah, I should be able to get his scent, I think.”

“You think?” Stiles stared at Liam, ignoring the way the Jeep straddled both lanes of the thankfully empty road. “What’s wrong, didn’t you get it earlier?”

“Yeah, but, now all I smell is peppermint.” Liam mumbled miserably. “And my stomach still hurts!”

“We’ll figure it out, pup.” Stiles nodded determinedly, parking on the side of the access road. “Ok?”

“Yeah.” The werewolf was frowning at him. “Your heart is beating really fast; no more coffee for you.”

“Fine,” Stiles shrugged, feeling jittery, “I don’t need any more energy, anyway, let’s get to tracking Theo.”


	86. The Dangers of Cruising

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a major canon divergence in this chapter (which is why it's longer than normal) that will affect the rest of the story and derail the canon season five events.

“What do you think is in that package?” Liam whispered as he followed Stiles into the woods, his nostrils flaring as he tried to catch Theo’s scent. “It looked like a rifle, do you think it is a rifle, Stiles?”

“Why would a werewolf want a rifle?” He glanced at Liam and shook his head. “Have you got the scent yet?”

“Um, I think so. Hang on.” Liam stopped and pulled out his phone, seeing a missed call and messages from Mason. 

“What is it?” Stiles had crouched down on one knee, using the night-vision binoculars to scope out the area in front of them.

“It’s Mason, I was supposed to be studying with him this evening, uh.” Liam sniggered, looking up at Stiles. “But, he’s the one cancelling on me, seemed like watching the soccer team wasn’t a total bust after all. Him and the captain are having dinner!”

“Huh.” Stiles smirked and stood up. “We’ll have to call him after this, see how they got on. Actually, while you’ve got the phone out, give Scott another call, or text him at least. I don’t care if he’s at Kira’s or not, we need to talk tactics on Theo.”

“Right.” Liam nodded, looking down at his bright screen as he walked slowly behind Stiles, sending the message to Scott, “Do you want-ah!” His feet gave out from under him and the werewolf fell forwards into a deep hole, his phone spilling from his hands. The bottom of the pit was dark and strangely wet, but Liam got up, looking at the starry sky above him. “Uh, Stiles? I found a hole!”

“What have I told you about looking for strange holes in the woods, Liam?!” Stiles sniggered, walking back to see his boyfriend looking up at him. He folded his arms as a smile tugged his lips back. “Looks like it could fit one more, huh?”

“Shut up and get me out!”

“You know, I heard a few years ago this was a popular cruising spot, I just don’t think these were the holes they were looking for!”

“Stiles!” Liam glared at him. “Help me out or this will be the last hole you’ll ever see me in!”

“Alright, alright, chill out,” Stiles laid flat on the ground and extended his arm into the hole, grasping Liam’s hand and pulling the werewolf out. Liam scrambled up the sides of the pit, leaping the last few feet to land behind Stiles with a triumphant growl. “Ok, we better find Theo, you still have his scent?”

“Yeah, this way.” Liam replied, wiping his hands on his trousers. “We better watch out though, I don’t want to accidentally drop into any more holes.”

“Is it ever an accident?” Stiles smirked but followed Liam towards the sounds of a river, a rough trail emerging in front of them.

 

“Stop.” Stiles gripped the back of Liam’s hoodie and pulled him close, dragging the werewolf behind a fallen trunk. “There he is.” He nodded at the bridge over the river, steep banks covered in sharp rocks were visible by the light of the moon overhead. They remained crouched down, watching Theo as he stood at the edge of the bridge, the package from the car in his hands. Stiles frowned and put his binoculars to his eyes, whispering to Liam, “Huh, they’re flowers, weird. What do you smell, pup?”

“I’m not sure, he’s too far away.”

“Try harder, really concentrate.”

“I am concentrating!” Liam hissed at him, but frowned at the ground, ignoring his own scents of mud from the hole, mint from the candy, Stiles’ comforting motes wafting around him, and instead focused on the other werewolf. _Weird, yesterday it was all blood and steel, and that’s still there, but it’s different now, I’m getting a taste, kinda like caramel and err…_ “Soap.”

“What?” Stiles glanced at him, brow raised.

“Err, yeah, he smells nice.” Liam shrugged. “That was it, right?”

“No, Liam! His state, his _emotional_ state!”

“Ok,” Liam nodded, hearing Stiles’ teeth grind together in frustration beside him, “Uh, hang on, he’s hard to read, um…he’s sad.”

“Sad?”

“Hmm, no, it’s more like, hmm, grief, yeah, that’s it.” He nodded. “Like he’s lost something or someone.”

“Oh.” Stiles bit his lip as he looked at the flowers Theo was now dropping into the water under the bridge and the details of his sister’s death came back to him. “Um, I think we were wrong.”

“What?”

“Pull back.” Stiles gestured for them to leave, grabbing Liam’s hand. “C’mon.”

“What is it? I don’t understand.” The werewolf muttered, glancing over his shoulder, seeing Theo still standing at the bridge’s railing, lilies falling from his hands. “Stiles?”

“You remember that I told you his sister died, and they moved away soon after?” Stiles spoke normally once they had got far enough away from Theo. “Well, that’s the bridge where they found her body; he’s honoring her memory and we just…”

“Walked in on it.” Liam finished, glancing uneasily at Stiles. “That was wrong.”

“Yeah, I guess maybe I went a little overboard in-”

“Looking for me?” There was a voice up ahead of them and Liam stopped dead, flinging out his arm to block Stiles’ path. Theo smirked down at them from the branch of a tree. “Really, guys, I’m flattered!”

_How the hell did he get in front of us?_ Liam thought as he watched Theo sit on the branch and then let himself drop off, landing cat-like on the ground. “Um.”

“I got this, Liam.” Stiles murmured, walking ahead of him over to Theo. “Fine evening, isn’t it?”

 

“Pretty perfect, now.” Theo nodded, grinning at them. “Are you really here for me?”

“Let’s just say that I have some questions for you that weren’t answered in the little interview with Scott earlier.” Stiles replied. “I did a little digging and verifying, just like I said I would.”

“I do like a man who keeps his word.” Theo’s grin got wider, and his attention was focused just on Stiles, even as Liam edged closer to his boyfriend. “You wanna know if I changed my trunks? Or maybe you want me to give you the evidence this time?”

“Rawrr!” Liam growled threateningly, squaring his shoulders and standing in front of Stiles. _He’s not even hiding his arousal, what the hell?!_ “What are you talking about?”

“Huh, pretty strong, this guy, right?” Theo ignored his question, looking over Liam’s head at Stiles. “I bet the Beta of a True Alpha could do some serious damage.”

“Only when I don’t restrain him.” Stiles replied, gripping the back of Liam’s hoodie and placing his other hand on his boyfriend’s neck. “Thankfully unleashing him hasn’t been necessary, yet.”

“Uh huh,” The other werewolf flicked his eyes over them both and Liam’s eyes glowed yellow as he smelt the increased lust from Theo. “I can only imagine the sight of that…hmm, strength and ferocity.”

“What did you mean? What do you want?!” Liam demanded, burying his hands in his pockets when he felt the claws slide out. “What happened earlier?”

“Oh, Stiles was just asking me some control questions for his interview.” Theo replied, his eyes normal and expression still friendly. “And we were just talking about what underwear I was wearing.”

“I didn’t ask, and you volunteered that information.” Stiles clarified, gripping Liam tighter. “We were just going.”

“You went to all this trouble, Stiles.” Theo stepped back, spreading his arms wide. “Why don’t you ask me your questions anyway? Did you find out if I was telling the truth?”

“That’s not what I’m interested in.” He released Liam when his boyfriend nodded. “But, sure, if you want to know what I found out, then I can indulge you.”

“Please.” Theo winked at him and grinned again, biting his lower lip the way he had done that afternoon. “ _Indulge me!_ ”

“Uh, fine.” Stiles pulled out the two pieces of paper from his pocket and handed them to Theo. “This is what I found: one’s a speeding ticket signed by your Dad eight years ago, and the other is a transfer form to Beacon Hills High signed a few days ago. They’re different.”

“Huh.” Theo frowned, serious for the first time as his head tilted to one side, studying the signatures. He glanced up at Stiles. “So, what are you saying, exactly?”

“They’re completely different, Theo; signed by two different people.”

“Uh, ok, so you think my Dad is an imposter?”

“Something like that.” Liam added, leaning in aggressively, before backing out when Stiles gestured at him. “Well?”

“Hmm.” Theo was silent for a few seconds before nodding and glancing around. “Yeah, they won’t be very happy that they’ve been found out. Hah, and they fooled everyone else, except they never counted on you, Stiles.”

“What are you talking about?” Stiles’ eyes narrowed, “You’re admitting it?”

“We’re all alone out here, err, no, I didn’t mean that as a threat, Liam.” Theo shrugged when the Beta glared. “But, yeah, they’re not my parents, I don’t really know who they are, they simply serve a…higher power.”

“Religious?”

“You could say that, but not in the sense that they worship a god, more like a pantheon.” Theo half-smiled. “This wasn’t supposed to happen, I was supposed to just turn up, they’d do their thing and I’d get…well, you.”

“Me?” Stiles gasped, instinctively grabbing Liam’s shoulders as his boyfriend lunged at Theo. “Stop!”

“But he said-”

“I know.” Stiles said firmly, glaring at his boyfriend. “Control yourself, so we can find out what the hell is going on.”

“I know it sounds crazy, but, um, you’re the only human member of the pack, Stiles.” Theo nodded as they stared at him. “I’m not sure what their real plans are for the rest of you, Liam, they haven’t told me yet.”

“And why are you telling us?” Liam’s eyes narrowed. “Why should we trust you?”

“Because my parents are dead, my real parents, not the ones who are wearing their faces right now.” Theo replied, glancing between them. “Look, I know this is a lot, and you didn’t expect me to tell you the truth, but I wanted, I wanted you to find the threads and pull, Stiles, I couldn’t risk saying anything at school, they have…eyes and ears everywhere.”

“I’ll need to talk to Scott.” Stiles said after a moment of weighing up Theo’s earnest expression and raised palms. “If you really want to help us, you have to tell us everything, not now, tomorrow; and to the whole pack.”

“Sure, but I want something in return.” Theo wet his lips, looking over his shoulder furtively. “I want asylum; I need protection from them; they’ll kill me, just like my parents or anyone who gets in their way.”

“Like Stiles said, we need to talk to Scott.” Liam answered coldly.

“Ok. Tomorrow then.” Theo nodded, heading back to the river. “See ya.” 

 

Stiles was silent as they walked back to the Jeep, Liam looking at him every few seconds until he couldn’t stand it any longer. “What do you think? Was he telling the truth?”

“Couldn’t you tell?” Stiles glanced at his boyfriend. “Were you listening to his heart, reading his scent?”

“Yeah, he was being honest, but-”

“It’s a threat we can’t just dismiss.” Stiles sighed, holding up his hand as he spotted lights next to where the Jeep was parked. “Who’s there?”

“Just me.” Scott called out, grinning at them when they emerged from the forest. “Finally! Check your charge level, Stiles! And you never called me back, Liam!”

“What?” Liam patted the front of his pants, groaning. “I must have left it in the hole!”

“Uh, what were you guys doing out here?” Scott asked, quirking a brow.

“Now I have to try and find that hole again!”

Stiles sniggered and looked at his boyfriend with a grin. “I am literally holding in so many ‘that’s what he said’ jokes, I’m starting to hurt!”

“Shut up,” Liam glared at him, “And tell Scott what we found out.”

“Hmm? Let me guess, Theo?”

“Yeah,” Stiles nodded, reaching into the Jeep to turn on the ignition, hearing it groan and cough pathetically. “Argh, give me a hand, Scott. So, um, Theo is not what we expected.”

“Is he lying?”

“Not lying exactly, just not truthful either, the things he said, I don’t know. Liam, hop in and turn the key when I say.” Stiles paused as he hung the lamp against the hood and his boyfriend climbed into the Jeep. “He had info, but I’m not sure if it’s legit, we should talk to him again tomorrow, Scott.”

“You gonna tell me anything?” His best friend stood next to him. “Why are you being so cryptic?”

“I need you to hear it from him, without me biasing you.” Stiles replied, tearing a strip of tape off the roll. “The intelligence he has, if it’s true, there’s something potentially very bad out there.”

“You don’t trust him yet, do you?”

“I try not to trust any new werewolves.” Stiles replied darkly, eyeing the tubes of Life Savers in Scott’s pockets as Liam tried the engine. “I especially won’t be trusting them around my bedroom…anymore.”

“Why can’t you trust him?” 

“Because,” He straightened up and glared at Scott. "Because I just know that asshole is gonna eat all my candy! I’ve already lost my stash to two werewolves, I’m not losing it to a third one!”

“Oh, that…” Scott shuffled awkwardly, “Um, what if I let him eat my candy bar at lunch time instead?”

“It’s only Stiles’ bar he’s interested in.” Liam quipped, blushing when the Alpha looked at him, eyes widening. “Um, I need to go find my phone, but at least the engine is running now.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Stiles nodded, breathing heavily. “Do you want me to wait for you?”

“No, I want to go for a run anyway,” Liam shook his head. “All those donuts are still making me feel weird, the air would be good. I’ll call you later, ok?” He kissed Stiles quickly and jogged into the woods.

 

The hole was easy to find and Liam grimaced as he picked his phone up from the mud. “Aw, man, gross.” Liam leapt out of the pit and glanced back towards the town. “I guess I should go home, but…” He waited for a moment, then nodded and turned towards the bridge over the river. Theo was still standing next to the railing, staring into the deep water. He glanced up when Liam approached, eyes narrowing slightly.

“Yeah?”

“No warm welcome?” Liam folded his arms, stopping at the edge of the bridge. “Is that because it’s just me and not Stiles?”

“Something like that.” Theo turned towards him. “That’s why I told him everything after all, I could’ve fooled you easily enough.”

“Grr.” Liam growled, eyes burning yellow and he pulled his hands out of his pockets, no longer caring to hide his claws. “What do you really want?”

“Like I said to him, they promised me that Stiles would stay alive no matter what,” Theo shrugged, smirking. “It’s weird to say now, but I liked him even when we were kids, and he’s pretty awesome as a crime solving supernatural teen detective, huh?”

Liam didn’t say anything, grinding his teeth as the urge to punch Theo washed through him. _I’ll wipe that smirk off your damn face!_

“Well, he is, not that it matters since he’s with you.” The werewolf sighed. “That’s what you’re here for, isn’t it, Liam? To warn me to back off? To leave Stiles alone?”

“Something like that.”

“Well, I came back for Stiles in order to save at least one of your pack, because I have no idea what they’re gonna do to the rest of you, just-”

“No!” Liam roared, “Stiles belongs with me!”

“I said I wanted him, not that I was gonna take him.” Theo frowned at him as Liam moved closer, eyes watching his claws. “What are you doing?”

“Back off from my boyfriend!”

“Fine, fine, if he likes the crazy, I guess he’s not the person I thought he was.” Theo smirked and turned to go.

“Hey!” Liam closed the distance rapidly and grabbed the back of Theo’s sweatshirt, dragging the werewolf to the ground. “You can’t have Stiles, he’s mine!” His heart was pounding in his ears, blood rushing through his veins, the crimson mist of violence falling across his eyes in a way unlike anything that Liam had ever experienced. Theo was struggling beneath him, but Liam was stronger, faster, more lethal, his fists shooting out to subdue the other werewolf, a single thought pulsing through his mind. _Stiles is mine! Stiles is mine! Stiles is MINE!_

“Get off me!” Theo cried out, alarm filling his voice as Liam’s claws glinted in the moonlight overhead. “Let me-”

“No! I’ll never let you take Stiles from me!” Liam roared, lashing out in a blind rage, barely feeling his claws slicing through skin and muscle. There was a sudden wetness on his arms and face, a copper taste on his tongue, a dark liquid dripping down the wooden supports of the bridge. “What…” Liam stared at Theo, yellow eyes fading as the anger drained from him and he swallowed hard, looking down at the sticky, slick blood soaking his claws. The other werewolf was gazing back at him with a surprised expression, but Liam could only hear one heartbeat on the bridge: his own. “Shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh! Looks like Liam’s jealousy and anger finally got the better of him! 
> 
> I’ll be heading out of state for the next two weeks, so updates may slow, but I’m hoping to get one more chapter out this Sunday, after that, it might be a while before there’s a regular three updates a week. Thanks for reading!


	87. Is This A Dream?

Stiles yawned as he watched his Dad back out of the driveway; it was another rushed goodbye, the Sheriff ducking around him as he responded to a callout, lights flashing red and blue against his face. “See ya, I guess.” He walked into the kitchen, eying the still warm coffeepot, before shaking his head. “No, I’m way too tired, better check in with Liam and then hit the sack.” Stiles climbed the stairs wearily, pushing open his bedroom door and kicking off his shoes, stumbling against the crime board that he had pulled out in the early hours of that morning, but it felt like days ago now. He looked at his bed, and shrugged, “Liam can just send me a message, that mattress looks too inviting.” The teenager collapsed on the bed and hugged his pillow to his chest, eyes already shut by the time he tapped out a quick text to Liam. Sleep took him almost instantly after that.

Stiles groaned as he rolled over, the sound of gravel hitting his window had woken him. “Fuck’s sake.” He checked his phone quickly, but there was no response from Liam. “Weird, it’s after one, that should have been enough time to have a run and get home…” Stiles was about to send a follow-up text when the sound of rocks clacking against the glass again distracted him. He looked out of the window, frowning at the shadowy outline at the treeline, “Uh, go downstairs.” Stiles gestured at the front door and turned away, leaving his room and taking the stairs quickly. _What the hell is this about? I swear if…_ The thoughts fell away as he opened the door, staring at the blood-splattered figure in front of him. “Liam?”

 

“Let me in!” He pushed past Stiles quickly, looking around frantically. “Your Dad isn’t here, right?”

“No, he’s at work, what’s going on? What the fuck happened to you?!” Stiles closed the door quickly. “Is that…”

“Um, it’s complicated.” Liam muttered, moistening his lips and avoiding Stiles’ eyes.

“Well, I’m going to need an answer, Liam, you’re covered in blood!” Stiles reached out and gripped his shoulders, ignoring the sticky wetness under his fingers. “Did someone attack you? Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m not.” The werewolf replied, head bowed. “And, no, I wasn’t…not exactly…I, um, Theo is…”

“A bad guy who attacked you?”

“Uh, yeah.” Liam lied quickly, glancing at Stiles, seeing him nod. “Um, but, err, Stiles, he’s dead.” There was silence between them for almost a minute as Liam waited for his boyfriend’s reaction, his own thoughts felt sluggish, almost frozen, as though he had stopped thinking as soon as his claws had ripped Theo’s throat out. He had walked around the woods for almost an hour before deciding to go to Stiles instead of his parents, or dragging Mason into his fuckup, or even Scott. “Stiles? Say something, please!”

“You’re sure he’s dead?” Stiles asked, his expression remaining carefully neutral, his scent an odd mix of anger and fear and coldness. 

“He won’t be getting back up.” Liam swallowed hard and held up his hand, showing Stiles the dried blood and caked gore that covered the tops of his fingers, splatter extending up his arm almost to the elbow of his jacket. “Theo’s dead, I had to hit his neck, there was no other way to stop him from…But, like I said, he attacked me first, and there was an argument, and, uh-”

“It can wait.” Stiles exhaled sharply. “Um, just tell me where.”

“At the bridge, in the Preserve, we were arguing and-”

“I said later, Liam.” He cut across the werewolf sharply. “We can’t think about that right now. Is the body still there?”

“Yeah? I, I didn’t know what to do, I kinda, I guess I was in shock and I just wandered around for an hour thinking and, uh, and then I came here.” Liam smelt the spike in Stiles’ fear level before he saw the teenager’s expression change. “What is it?”

“As I was leaving that time, after Scott, when you went back to get your phone,” Stiles moved away from him, glancing at the clock in the kitchen. “There were these two SUVs coming through with Department of the Interior logos, I asked my Dad about it before he got called out to an accident downtown. Apparently, there’s a crew from the Fish and Wildlife Service out in the Preserve to set up a bunch of cameras because they’ve gotten reports of wolves being back in California.”

“So, what does that mean?”

“It means that they’ll likely find his body sooner rather than later, since it’s right along the river and on the bridge.” Stiles grabbed Liam’s hand and gripped tight. “But first things first, you go and get cleaned up; there’s plenty of hot water and you’re literally covered in blood. Give your clothes to me and you can wear some of the ones from my closet.”

“What are you going to do?” Liam asked as he began to strip off.

“I have an idea but leave that to me, I’ll organize what we need.” Stiles nodded at the stairs, collecting the ruined clothes as Liam stood naked in his living room. _Any other time, that would be quite the invitation!_ “Go!”

 

The water was hot, just as Stiles had said it would be and Liam washed himself vigorously, flicking out his claws to clean them too, the puddles around his feet turning red. He tried not to think about what had happened, what he had done, but he still got flashes; the expression on Theo’s face at the end, the feel of warm blood crashing onto his skin, the racing of his own heart when the rage overwhelmed him, and everything felt so urgent, when Theo had become too much of a threat. Liam blinked as the water became cooler and he shut it off, stepping out of the basin onto the towels on the floor. He glanced at himself in the mirror, struggling to meet his own gaze through the wet strands of his hair. _I lied to Stiles…but I had to, I couldn’t tell him that it was all me, that I, that, I, I can’t even think it! How am I meant to be able to defend myself if someone does find the body? I can’t ask Stiles to that, right?_

He sighed and turned away, drying his hair and body, before wrapping the towel around his waist and walking into Stiles’ bedroom. It was the same messy disaster as ever; papers all over the desk and floor, though Liam frowned as he looked at where his boyfriend’s laptop was usually charging, now it was missing. In fact, there seemed to be a lot absent from the room. The pile of clothes that constituted Stiles’ freshly laundered set weren’t heaped in his office chair for easy access, and the tangle of cables that led under the bed to a dormant police scanner were gone. “Huh.” Liam shrugged and opened the closet, freezing when he noticed that there was a lot missing here too. “Um…”

“Good, you’re out.” Stiles appeared behind him; he had changed into darker clothes and was carrying a suitcase. “Get dressed, we’re going.”

“Going?”

“Away from Beacon Hills. It’s not safe anymore.” Stiles gestured at the wardrobe and then at the suitcase. “Get dressed and then throw whatever you’ve got from there into this. I want us on the road in twenty minutes.”

“What?!” Liam stared at him. “I don’t understand.” But Stiles had left the room at that stage and he frowned at the wall. “Well, Stiles probably knows what he’s doing, I hope. I have to trust him, maybe then I can…” _Tell him the truth? Yeah, sure, Liam._ The werewolf tried to ignore the nasty little voice echoing in his mind, failing as it showed him the memories of Theo falling to the ground and his claws flashing in the moonlight. “Fuck!”

 

As the shower was running Stiles had stood at the sink, staring at his reflection in the dark glass, his phone in one hand, thumb hovering over Scott’s name in his contacts. But after two minutes of silent reflection, he knew it wasn’t the right choice. “Provoked or not, Liam just killed someone,” Stiles whispered to himself. “He broke Scott’s code, his _one_ rule, and something like this, even if Theo was just a werewolf, it doesn’t take a massive stretch to imagine Liam losing control again and lashing out at someone who’s less durable. Not that it seemed to matter; based on what Liam said, he pretty much ripped Theo’s throat out.” 

He moved away from the sink and gathered up all of Liam’s bloodied clothes, putting them into a garbage bag and tossing them in the back of his Jeep. “An argument, he said, how much to bet that was about me? Theo sure wasn’t holding back his flirting and the wrong word to Liam could set him off. Like a freakin’ nuke! I thought we might be getting somewhere, but we barely knew Theo. Is Liam going to have to go around wearing a danger bell from now on?” Stiles chuckled shortly at the image, before sobering up as he looked back at the Jeep and an idea fired off in his brain. _Go dark._ “Yeah, that would work, and I’m pretty sure I’m uniquely qualified to teach him control over his emotions, well these ones anyway.”

 

Stiles returned to the house and began packing his clothes into a suitcase, hearing the water shut off as he dragged the case downstairs, tossing it into the trunk of the Jeep. It was joined a few minutes later by Liam’s clothes and a thick duvet was thrown over the electronic equipment Stiles had stashed in the back seats; police scanners, his laptop, power packs, cords and cables, routers and headsets, enough to keep an eye on the investigation should Theo’s body be recognized, and his Dad start digging around. Stiles tried not to think too much about that, focusing instead on his plan to help Liam gain better control of his anger. 

He directed the werewolf to raid the fridge and larder while he went to his father’s office and opened the gun-locker hidden in a drawer. “You really should change your passcodes.” Stiles reached in and pulled out the handgun, setting it on the table and taking out the clip, before sliding the weapon into the holster. He checked that the bullets were the ones that Argent had given his Dad, “Yeah, wolfsbane. Let’s hope I never have to use it, let’s hope Scott never has to find out.” _Not that the True Alpha would ever carry out that type of sentence himself. But I’m not letting it come to that; I **will** make Liam get a handle on his aggression!_ Stiles nodded determinedly to himself and took the side-door outside to stash the gun in the trunk, under their cases.

“I’m ready.” Liam appeared next to him, putting the gathered supplies into the Jeep. “Um, what about my parents?”

“We’ll explain once we’re away, uh, say that it’s a badly timed vacation, or hell, that we’re running away to get married in Vegas!” Stiles smiled at him, glancing at the duvet as the police scanner crackled and hummed. “Hang on.” He reached under and adjusted the volume knob.

“Dispatch, this is Unit Seven, I’m at the Beacon Hills Preserve, now, that callout from the FWS is accurate, we’ve got a code one-one-nine, requesting backup and the coroner. Uh, you might want to send the Sheriff out, it’s a young guy, possible animal attack, but there’s blood everywhere.”

“Stiles?” Liam looked at him, his face pale. “Does that mean what I think it does?”

“Yeah, they found his body.” Stiles shut the lid of the trunk with a snap, glancing at him with hard eyes. “It’s time to leave, Liam. I know you probably think it’s the wrong thing to do right now, but we can’t risk Scott getting tied to this; he already has something bad coming his way with whatever Theo’s parents are.”

“Ok, but they’ll probably just think it’s an animal attack, right?” Liam asked as he climbed into the Jeep next to Stiles. “So, it’s nothing too big, right? We’re just laying low for a while?”

“Not too big?” Stiles repeated, staring at him. 

“Well, I mean, I know I screwed up, but-”

“Just…” Stiles raised a hand, shaking his head. “Please stop talking, I’ll get us out of Beacon Hills, and we’ll figure things out from there, ok?”

“Ok.” Liam fell silent, frowning at him. _He’s definitely mad at me, but at least Stiles is still with me, and I’m not going to lose him to Theo…_


	88. Going Dark

“I need to get gas.” Stiles muttered, indicating and pulling into the filling station at the edge of Beacon Hills. Liam nodded silently beside him, looking out the window. “Uh, why don’t you go and grab some snacks for the drive?”

“Sure.” He nodded again, this time glancing at Stiles. “Are we going far?”

“Uh, kinda far.” Stiles replied vaguely, gesturing towards the darkened road ahead of them. _Once I figure out a safe place for us to lie low, preferably away from other people…_ He killed the engine and stepped out, walking back to unscrew the fuel cap. Liam passed him silently, a furrow in his brows. _Do I even want to know what he’s thinking about? What he’s seeing?_

Stiles let his own mind drift idly as the counter next to him ticked over; questions of where they were meant to be going, the things his father would say when they eventually came back, the anger of Liam’s parents for taking him, Scott, Mason, everyone... _It sucks, but this is something we have to do. I knew Liam’s anger and control issues were still as explosive as before, but it’s his jealousy that’s the real danger now. I need to do something about it; it’s my responsibility as much as it is his._ Stiles’ thoughts flicked quickly back to the gun he had stashed in the trunk, before dismissing it completely. _It’s not gonna come to that._

 

“Hey kid, you going to buy something or stare at the soda bottles all night long?!” The store manager called out to Liam, waking the werewolf from the blood-red memories he got caught in.

“Uh, yeah,” He swiped two bottles of Coca Cola from the fridge and placed them into a basket, pulling bags of chips and candy off the shelves in a sort of daze, not noticing when the man at the till raised his brows. “Um, here. My boyfriend is…uh, he’s getting gas too.”

“Pump number three?”

“Yeah, that’s it.” Stiles came up behind Liam, touching his back gently and smirking slightly when he saw the supplies. “Worked up a big appetite, huh?!”

“Um.”

“It’s fine.” He looked at the man and waited for him to ring them up. Stiles’ fingers hesitated over his debt card, before opting for cash. _Better not to leave a trail they can find too easily._ “Thanks. Liam, take this out to the car, please. Hey, you got a rest room?”

“Outside, round the back.”

“Thanks.” Stiles nodded and guided Liam out of the store, the werewolf clutching the plastic bags to his chest, still seemingly out of it. “Go on, I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Ok.” Liam looked at him, the beginnings of panic in his eyes. “You’ll be back soon, right?”

“A few minutes, five, tops.” He walked around the corner, the back of his neck tingling as Stiles felt Liam’s gaze linger on him. The restroom was bright, though cramped, a single stall and urinal, but it didn’t matter, Stiles didn’t really need to pee, he just needed time to think. “Fuck, fuck, fuck. How am I gonna get you out of this one, pup? Maybe we can…but that won’t work, too many people. You need quiet and stillness and no one around, fuck!” He stepped up to the bowl and unzipped, rolling his eyes as the usual bathroom graffiti. 

The teenager’s gaze paused on the poster attached to the wall above the cistern. “Misty Pines Adventure Park! As I recall, the only adventure in that dump was finding the place…” Stiles chuckled lightly and zipped himself back up, going out to the sink. As he was washing his hands and looking at his face in the streaked mirror, it came to him like a thunderbolt. “Of course! They’d never think of looking for us there! And even if Scott was able to follow our trail, the region is covered in pine trees; Liam said that he hates that smell; it’s too strong. Out by the lake he’ll be fine, and Scott always had stronger senses anyway…Ok, let’s do it!”

 

Liam glanced at Stiles when he returned to the Jeep, frowning when his boyfriend’s scent reached him. _He’s suddenly happy?_ “Everything ok?”

“Yup.” Stiles smirked at him. “I know where we’re going, King’s Canyon Park; it’s about a hundred miles from here, very dense woodlands, lots of mountains and hills and lakes.”

“Ok, but, we don’t even have a tent, how are we meant to survive out there? Sleep in the Jeep?”

“That’d be cosy,” He shook his head, though Liam could hear Stiles’ heart spike at the thought of it. “No, my Dad’s brother had a cabin in the region, up near Big Bear Lake; it’s still in the family, we just never go back to it anymore. If I remember rightly, the track up to it is brutal; no real road; gets muddy in Spring and Fall, blocked in by snow in Winter, and is only just passable in summer. I think the last time anyone was up there was about five years ago; we’ll be safe there.”

“Are you sure?” Liam asked as Stiles started driving again. “I mean, I know Theo won’t be coming after us, but-”

“Don’t think too much about it, pup.” Stiles glanced at him. “When we arrive, I’ll get your statement, I brought enough equipment with me to record it and keep an eye on the investigation if there is one.”

“Ok.”

“And on that note, I need you to turn off your phone; completely off, so they can’t use location services to track us.”

“Yeah.” Liam nodded and followed Stiles’ instructions, placing it beside his boyfriend’s own blackened device. “So, how will you be able to follow the investigation if you can’t go online?”

“I have special software that will hide our actual location and keep us safe.” Stiles replied confidently. “I haven’t really had an opportunity to use it before, so it’ll be good practice for…” He coughed and trailed off, as Liam finished his sentence morosely.

“College, you mean?” The werewolf saw him nod slightly and Liam sat back in the seat. “It’s a long way off.”

“And we agreed not to talk about it until after Christmas.” Stiles smiled at him. “You’re probably tired; get some rest, and I’ll wake you when we’re closer to Big Bear Lake.”

“Thanks,” Liam mumbled, already feeling his eyes drooping with the motion of the car and the darkness outside. He drifted off into sleep somewhat unexpectedly, thinking of nothing in particular, dreams replacing reality with the blink of an eye. Liam was back on the bridge in the Preserve, looking at Theo across from him. Except this Theo was much different from the other one; his eyes glowing a blood-red in the darkness, long fangs extending down from his parted lips, jagged, spear-like claws on his fingers. He advanced towards Liam, forcing the smaller werewolf to scramble backwards, tripping over the wooden planks of the bridge and collapsing on his ass as Theo crouched down and scuttled towards him in an unnerving manner. The monster raised his hand to slash at Liam, the teenager covering his face in fear as he waited for the claws to cut his arms to ribbons. But the offending attack never came, when he opened his eyes, Theo was slouched against the railing on the bridge; his throat ripped out and unseeing eyes staring up at Liam…

 

Stiles rubbed the tiredness from his face, pulling off the rural road as the glowing hands of the clock ticked past four-fifteen. “Nearly there now.” He reached over and shook Liam awake, his boyfriend grunting and growling at him. “C’mon, we’re almost at the lake!”

“Ugh.” Liam’s eyes flicked open, a startling electric blue for a moment before fading back to human. “Huh?”

“Nearly there.” Stiles repeated, taking a deep breath as he saw afterimages of the murderous orbs flicker and dance in front of him. _Well, what else did I expect? Theo might have been a flirty prick, but…_ His thoughts trailed off as the Jeep started struggling in the thick mud that lined the narrow track of the entrance to the Park’s northern boundary. “Fuck! Ok, let me switch into four-wheel drive. We need to follow this for half an hour, the cabin is deep in the interior.”

“Ok.” Liam nodded, watching the twin beams of the Jeep’s headlights slice through the darkness and reveal the uneven, unpaved surface of the track. He could hear Stiles’ low grunts of exertion as he masterfully eased the Jeep up and over the hillocks, revving hard when he needed to, and easing off as they rolled down the other side. It was slow going and by the time the sun had started to color the eastern horizon orange and yellow, Liam was staring at the tranquil stillness of Big Bear Lake from the top of a tall slope. “Is there a Little Bear Lake?”

“Yeah, it’s about two miles behind the cabin, and it really is small.” Stiles nodded, turning off the rough track onto an even tighter trail, the mud and gravel giving way to grasses and bushes that scrapped the underside of the Jeep and brushed against the doors with an eerie screech as they descended to the lake shore. “They do look kinda like bears too; Big Bear is lying down, and I think Little Bear is meant to look like a bear cub standing up.” He shrugged, “We can check them out later in the day once we get set up.”

“Right.” Liam nodded, peering through the thick foliage as the cabin finally came into view. It was made of dark wood; rustic and yet well-built, with small windows at the back and a moss-covered roof. His enhanced sight picked out a black stovepipe rising at the apex of the roof and the detail of carvings around the pillars that supported the sheltered veranda at the front of the building. Stiles slowed to a stop beside a small wooden jetty that reached out into the stillness of Big Bear Lake, ringed around on all sides by pine trees, the scent of their needles making Liam’s nose twitch. “Wow.”

“You like it?”

“Uh huh, I just, I wish we could’ve come here under better circumstances.” Liam sighed, glancing at him. “I’m sorry, Stiles.”

“Yeah, I know.” He nodded and stepped out of the car, reaching into the back seat for a flashlight. “I don’t have a key; I think my Dad actually lost it, so you’re going to have to break the lock for me.”

“I can do that.”

“Alright,” Stiles glanced at the trail behind them, muttering, “We should be safe here, for now at least.”

“I got it open!” Liam called out, sneezing as he stepped inside. “Ah! It’s really dusty!”

“I can imagine.” Stiles laughed and gestured for him to return to the Jeep. “Let’s get everything out and set up, and then you’ll tell me what happened with Theo, right?”

“Um, ok.” Liam replied, seeing Stiles’ expectant look. “I tell you what happened, although, it’s not that clear-”

“We’ll figure it out, Liam, and then, no matter what, I am going to sleep!” Stiles smirked, yawning. "Three days awake is kinda my maximium; the last time I did that was when _Star Wars: The Old Republic_ came out!"


	89. A Secret in the Forest

“Ok,” Stiles blinked at Liam blearily, tiredness weighing him down. After a moment of his boyfriend looking back at him expectantly, Stiles grunted and nodded. “Sorry, forgot what I was meant to be doing.”

“Yeah,” Liam chewed on his bottom lip. “Are you sure you want to do this now? I mean, we can wait until the morning, uh, later in the morning, I mean.” He glanced at the shafts of sunlight pushing through gaps in the trees outside, sparkling across the rapidly brightening lake water. 

“No, we need to do it while everything is fresh in your mind.” Stiles shook his head, reaching over to push the play button of the tape recorder he had placed on the table next to a pad of paper and a pen. “I need you to tell me everything that happened from the moment that you left me and Scott to go find your phone, ok?”

“But, why?” Liam looked hurt. “Don’t you believe me that Theo attacked me first?”

“Yeah, of course.” Stiles offered him a small smile and touched his hand across the table. “This isn’t a police station, Liam, you’re not under arrest; I just want to have all the facts so that when we do go back to Beacon Hills, we can explain what happened and fill in whatever gaps Scott and my Dad have in their, uh, evidence.”

“Go back?” The werewolf repeated, eyes widening suddenly. “But I thought-”

“I’m not saying we return next week, and don’t think about it.” Stiles broke in, nodding at him. _It’s going to take a lot longer than that to get your rage and jealousy under control._ “Ok, talk to me.”

“Um, ok.” Liam watched as Stiles nodded along when he spoke, taking notes and avoiding eye contact. “So, um, after I got my phone, I, uh, I’m not really sure, like, it’s kinda fuzzy, but I went for the run. Or, well, that was my plan, I was gonna take the loop that goes through the forest and sweeps south around the edge of the Preserve nearest the school.”

“Right. Were you hoping to meet Theo?”

“No.”

“Hmm,” Stiles wrote something down that Liam couldn’t see and looked up. “And?”

“Um,” He wetted his lips and glanced out the window. “I was going to cross the bridge and that’s when Theo, well, he was just there.”

“What happened next?”

“We, um, we talked, well, I guess, argued, maybe.”

“What was the argument about?” Stiles’ voice was completely neutral; almost painfully so, and Liam winced even as he repeated the question. “Liam, what was the argument about?”

“You, of course.” He flicked his eyes back at Stiles, “Theo didn’t hide the fact he wanted you from either of us, but he was only friendly in front of you; he was a lot more aggressive when it was just me and him.”

“Right.” Stiles nodded, watching him carefully as he asked his next question. “When did he attack you?”

“I was, I was pretty angry.” Liam muttered, scratching at the surface of the table with a nail. “But I remembered what you said and I, um, I was able to control my emotions; I was going to walk away, but, um, Theo didn’t want the conversation to end, so he grabbed the back of my jacket and pulled me back. Maybe he used more force than he intended but, uh, I tripped and fell on the bridge.”

“Go on.” Stiles whispered, his expression unreadable.

“So, uh, he crouched next to me and his claws were out, eyes too, I thought he was going to threaten me, say that I should break up with you, so he could have you.” Liam replied hurriedly. “That’s, um, when I made the big mistake, I didn’t realize my own claws where out, and I reached for him, trying to push him away, but I nicked his arm and drew blood. He must have thought I was attacking him, so Theo pushed me, I pushed him. You could tell he was an Omega though, somehow; he was weaker: I ended up struggling with him under me and his hands were on my shoulders, trying to push me off, and I was, my hands, um, my fingers were on his neck. He twisted one way, but I went the other, and in the heat of the moment my claws, err…”

“You need to say it, Liam.”

“They went through his neck, there was blood everywhere.” Liam looked at him, seeing Stiles nod slowly. “So, um, after I…once I realized he wasn’t going to be getting back up, I got up and, um, I didn’t, I don’t know.”

“You ran away.” Stiles supplied, finishing a note with a slow nod. “Do you think anyone saw you?”

“No.”

“The body should have been recovered by now and Beacon Hills shares its coroner with Hill Valley, so it’ll be a day or two before they file the reports of the autopsy.” Stiles spoke in a cold manner, stopping the recording and looking at him. “That’s assuming that Theo’s body makes it that far; maybe they will just think it’s an animal attack and nothing else, but if my Dad thinks there’s more to it, and he probably will, since we were actively investigating Theo, he might intervene and get Theo’s body to Deaton. Was he wolfed out when he died?”

“Um, I don’t know, maybe?” Liam shrugged. “That’d be a good thing, right? No one would know?”

“You mean that there’d be no consequences?” Stiles arched a brow at him and Liam could smell the mingled anger and disappointment in his scent. “Legal ones at least?”

“Yeah, but…” The werewolf trailed off, shaking his head. “So, what’s the punishment for killing another supernatural?”

“I guess Scott would have to decide.” Stiles leaned back in his chair, images of the wolfsbane loaded gun flashing across his mind. “But that’s the other reason why we’re all the way out here and not in some fleabag motel on the other side of town. You’re going to learn to control your anger, Liam, for real this time. When we go back to Beacon Hills, I want you to be able to shift whenever _you_ want to, not your emotions, I want to be able to talk and hang out with my other guy friends without you completely flying into a jealous rage, but most importantly, I want to show Scott that you’ve learned from your mistakes, that even though your eyes can never change back, this won’t ever happen again.”

Liam didn’t reply immediately, just stood up when Stiles did, and let his boyfriend pull him into a hug. “That could be a lot of work.”

“Yeah, but it’s worth it, and between the two of us, we’ll get it done.”

 

Liam watched Stiles sleep, the older teenager having finally crashed, making it only as far as the couch and practically dozing off as he waited for Liam to pull off the dust sheets. The entire interior of the cabin had been covered by the cloths and Liam sacrificed the chance for rest in order to explore the rest of the building. _Well, exploring is fine, but I don’t want to dream and see that all over again; either the lie or the truth. And I’m not sleeping with Stiles either, I don’t deserve his comfort._

There were five rooms off the large living room that occupied the front of the cabin, looking out to the veranda and grassy shore down to the wooden jetty that reached into the alpine water. Liam moved into the small kitchen and dining area, glancing into the cupboards; stacks of dust-covered crockery and cans without any labels, another was filled with military rations that Liam recognized from _Fallout 3_. “MREs? I really need to ask what Stiles’ uncle did…” He left the kitchen, poking his head into the first bedroom; a wide double bed taking up most of the space in the cramped space, it was nothing but the frame and mattress, though he spotted a wardrobe hidden away in the back. “Maybe there’s bedclothes there?” The other room across from him was a surprisingly well-appointed bathroom; the white enamel of the sink, toilet, and bath all still gleamed despite the dust that covered everything in the cabin. “Well, at least, it’s not a hole in the floor or something like that. And that bath could fit both of us in there!” For the first time in hours, Liam felt his dick twitch as his imagination kicked in; him and Stiles slipping and sliding against each other in the soapy bath water… “Hmm, better wait a few days before suggesting that idea.” 

He turned around, leaving the bathroom and opening the door at the other end of the hall, nearest to where the Jeep was parked outside. “Supplies.” Liam looked at the well-stocked shelves and shook his head. “Ok…this guy clearly was preparing for something.” He walked over to a tall plastic cylinder that looked like a water cooler, several empty gallon jugs stacked next to it. The other side of the room was taken up with cut planks of wood, sheets of plastic, and boxes of nails. Liam ran his hands across the toolbox that sat on top of the timber, his eyes glowing as they compensated for the darkness around him, the werewolf forgetting to turn on the light.

The next wall was stacked from floor to ceiling with cans, though unlike the ones in the kitchen, Liam could read the labels: fruits, chicken, tuna, rice, beans; tubs of flour, salt, sugar, yeast, a giant rack of spices and dried herbs, and something called powdered milk that made him frown in confusion. On the table in the center of the room was a large space with faint traces of bleach still detectable by his enhanced sense of smell. Liam looked up suddenly and stared at the chest freezer at the other end of the room. _Oh, please don't be filled with body parts..._ He flipped the lip open quickly, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw that it was empty. "Maybe it's for hunting?"

Liam backed out of the room and looked at the last door he had to open as unease gripped his stomach. “What on earth is going to be in here?” He turned the knob, but the door wouldn’t budge, and the werewolf glanced over his shoulder to make sure Stiles wasn’t watching him as curiosity overwhelmed him. “C’mon!” Liam grunted and shouldered it, hearing the lock break and he fell into the room, recovering quickly as he looked around, eyes widening. “What the hell?!”

 

Stiles found Liam sitting on the edge of the jetty, basking in the sun as it shone down from high in the clear, blue sky, “Hey pup.”

“Hey.” Liam glanced at him, swinging his legs back and forth over the water. “Did you get much sleep?”

“Enough, yeah.” Stiles smiled and sat next to him. “You?”

“No, I, um, I just had a look around.” He paused and watched Stiles. “So, what exactly did your uncle do, for a living, I mean?”

“Oh, err, he worked for the Federal Government.”

“Uh huh, doing what?”

“Um, Forest Service, I think.” Stiles replied evasively. “Hence the cabin, and uh, that would be why he’d be here.”

“Right,” Liam’s brows furrowed at him. “So, the average Forestry worker just happens to have a room full of long term supplies and another with more communication equipment than the AV lab? Or a wall lined with more guns than I’ve ever seen? All hidden behind a door that looked like it was designed to keep out a bunker-busting bomb?!”

“But not a werewolf…” Stiles muttered, looking out at the lake. “My Dad never talked about his brother much, I just know he was killed overseas and there was always this sort of odd silence whenever his name was brought up.”

“So, not the Forest Service then?” Liam asked, eagerness making him look excitedly at Stiles. “Do you think he was a spy?!”

“Well, he wasn’t a hunter and I think my Dad would’ve sold this place if he was an assassin.” _We already have enough of those in the family, thanks…_ Stiles shrugged. “I guess we’ll see when we turn on that equipment, if he’s got a secure connection and good internet access, then maybe we won’t be so isolated out here. Hey, you can probably even Skype your parents and let them know you’re alive and I haven’t kidnapped you!”

“Haha,” Liam laughed along with him, letting Stiles talk as he glanced back at the cabin, the same feeling of unease sliding into his stomach as before. “Huh?”

“I said, that we should take today to rest and just get ourselves set up, we can figure everything else out tomorrow, ok?” Stiles offered him a smile and draped his arm around Liam’s shoulders. “It’ll be ok, pup, I know this isn’t easy and we’ll work on the causes of what happened, but you only defended yourself from a threat, pretty sure Scott will understand that.”

“Yeah,” Liam muttered miserably, trying to block Theo’s shocked expression from his mind’s eye and the sensation of the innocent werewolf’s blood dripping down his fingers. “Sure, Stiles.”


	90. Getting Started

Liam looked up at the starry night sky above him, the utter lack of light pollution allowing him to see the scattering of the cosmos all across the velvety roof of the world. It was odd here, at the cabin, so much quieter than he was used to. Only the sound of the birds in the trees or the woodland animals moving through the undergrowth disturbed his thoughts. Stiles had gone back to sleep that afternoon, his boyfriend not saying very much about anything, and Liam didn’t want to bring up Theo’s death until he had to. It was easier to just pretend that they were on a retreat away from the stresses of high school instead of hiding out from the law and Scott.

“Scott…” Liam whispered softly to the still water in front of the jetty, pulling his gaze down to the treeline. “He won’t find us here, at least, not until he has to, or we let him. But Stiles has to know that our parents are going to be asking questions. I mean, I’m sure he knows what he’s doing, and he has a plan: Stiles always knows how to fix the problem.” The werewolf nodded to himself, taking comfort in the confidence Stiles always displayed when faced with a challenge. “He got us out here even when I thought for sure he was going to hand me over to his Dad or Scott. Except…” Liam trailed off again, the whispered words swallowed up by the darkness around him. “He still doesn’t know everything.”

The teenager glanced back at the cabin, making sure that he could hear Stiles’ slow heartbeat and steady pulse, knowing that he truly was asleep. “He expected that Theo would attack me, how was I meant to ignore that? It’s such an easy way out, and it would’ve worked on everyone else and we’d be fine, but I still should have told Stiles that it, that I…fuck!” He growled and swiped at the air with bared claws. “Grr!”

“I need to know what’s going on, better see if Stiles can hack into the Sheriff’s servers yet.” Liam snarled, azure eyes glowing brightly in the darkness. He was about to turn back to the cabin and wake his boyfriend when he caught sight of himself in the water, the mirror-like surface reflecting his visage at him. “Fuck, Stiles said they were blue, but I didn’t really believe him.” Liam reached up, touching his cheek and eye socket, but his face felt the same. “It’s just what happens when a werewolf kills, that’s what Stiles said about how Malia has blue eyes instead of yellow. It doesn’t really matter, Scott will be able to tell I’m guilty though, even if his mind doesn’t go straight to Theo’s death.” He sighed and sat down on the edge of the wooden jetty again, kicking his feet back and forth over the surface of the water. “Maybe it’d be better to put off talking about the Theo thing for a while…Stiles needs his rest after all.”

 

Stiles yawned and stretched as he stood on the veranda outside the cabin, steaming cup of coffee placed on the wooden table next to him, the sun rising behind the trees. He had left Liam asleep on the other couch in the sitting room, pausing only to pull up the blanket that had covered the werewolf’s legs instead of his torso. Stiles pursed his lips and took a sip of the coffee, grimacing at the taste, the jar of instant he had found in the press had definitely been there for too long. “Gonna have to figure out the supply situation, but maybe I should check and see if there’s an APB out for me or Liam, especially if my Dad is getting suspicious or worried.” 

He frowned and took another drink. “Even if he has, it probably stayed local, so we have a few days to work with. And I’m going to need the time: I haven’t even brought up the reason why I took Liam all the way out here; well, not in enough detail for him to understand what’s at stake.”

He put down the coffee and fished his keys out of his pocket, moving over to where the Jeep was parked and opened the trunk, reaching down to take out the wolfsbane gun and clip from its hiding place. Stiles looked around carefully, wanting to stash the weapon somewhere Liam wouldn’t find it accidentally, but where he’d be able to reach it, should the situation demand it. He settled on wrapping it in a cloth from the Jeep and placing it at the bottom of the dried-out wood pile at the side of the cabin. Returning to the veranda, Stiles pulled a face and tipped out the foul-tasting coffee, taking a stroll down to the water’s edge instead.

While it was becoming more autumnal, the air was warm and calm, and Big Bear Lake still had a summer feeling to it; the water looking cool and inviting. “Hmm, maybe a morning swim wouldn’t be a bad idea for Liam; freshen him up for the day ahead. Or else the water is icy cold, and it throws him into a fit of rage!” Stiles laughed quietly to himself at the image of Liam erupting from the water, gnashing teeth and glowing eyes. The moment of amusement faded almost at once when he remembered what trouble Liam’s short temper had caused them. “Still, a wet and slick and oh-so-hot Liam is better than thinking about…the other thing.” Stiles fondled his hardening cock for a moment, before sighing and returning to the interior of the cabin.

As much as his mind was weighed down by what Liam had done, his body still had needs and desires he had to take care of. He looked over at Liam himself, the werewolf lying on the couch where they had spent the last day and night, knowing that it was time to properly set themselves up, especially if they were going to be spending a few weeks in the cabin. “After all who knows how long it’s gonna take Liam to master his anger and gain control?”

 

Liam turned over, his back aching for a moment until he blinked and realized that he wasn’t sleeping on a bed. The sound of Stiles moving around nearby had woken him and the werewolf threw off the blanket covering his body to get up and wander into the kitchen area. “Huh?”

“It’s nearly nine, Liam, I was beginning to wonder if you were ever getting up.”

“It’s peaceful here, easy to sleep.” He replied, stretching and looking around at the open cupboards. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to figure out what supplies we have, in case we need to go to the store.” Stiles glanced his way. “I think if we need to, we should go now rather than later, what with the…” He trailed off and shrugged.

“Right.” Liam muttered, casting his eyes down. “Do you think they’ll be looking for us?”

“I’d be surprised if your parents weren’t at least a little concerned.”

“Yeah, especially with our phones off.” He gestured for Stiles to follow him. “Don’t you remember what I said yesterday? About that room with all the dried and stored food in it?”

“Oh, right, show me.” Stiles nodded, rubbing the back of his neck distractedly. “It should do us for a while at least, and after this, um, I was thinking that it’d be a good idea to see what type of internet connection we have. The, err, spy room might come in handy after all.”

“Cool.” Liam smiled a little, sensing the awkward tension between them that hadn’t existed before. 

 

“This is good.” Stiles nodded after they had inspected the dried and canned supplies. “I’m not sure about the powdered milk though…”

“Yeah, what is that?” Liam frowned, tilting the can towards him. “Oh, just add water, like baby formula?”

“I guess,” He shrugged. “Only child, remember?”

“So am I.” Liam walked out of the room, standing next to the busted door of the spy room. “Here next?”

“Sure.” Stiles pushed open the door and looked at him. “Will you get my laptop and battery pack from the living room, please?” He waited for Liam to leave and then went inside, flipping the lights on and dragging two chairs over to the large desk that occupied the far wall. Stiles glanced at the rack of firearms on the wall next to him; wood panelling and carefully arranged hooks held the guns in place; pistols, machine guns, a shotgun, even what looked like a grenade launcher near the end. They were all hidden behind a sheet of thick glass, perfectly entombed in their eternal dustless state.

“Here you go.” Liam handed Stiles the laptop and ducked under the table to find an empty outlet for him. “Why aren’t you using the big PC? It still looks kinda modern, even if it is a few years old.”

“It’ll be password protected, besides I think whoever my uncle was working for would probably notice if this IP address suddenly came back online.” Stiles explained, reaching around to slot a nearby ethernet cable into the port, booting up and waiting for the software to load. “I’ll use a proxy to hide this computer’s actual IP address and our physical location too.”

“Are you sure you’re not the spy?!” Liam stared at him as Stiles worked quickly. “How do you know how to do all this?”

“The internet mostly, plus Danny was pretty tech savvy, so before he moved away, he taught me a few tricks to cover my tracks.” Stiles glanced at him. “Hunters use computers too, the last thing I wanted to do was draw them down on us while I was researching the next threat to face the pack.”

“Oh, good thinking.” Liam saw his frown. “What is it?”

“I was expecting dial up, or maybe really, really slow speeds, but this is lightning fast…” Stiles muttered to himself, glancing out the window at the trees growing nearby. “Maybe he had a hidden satellite connection put in; they’re not as fast as cable, but all the way out here, anything is better than hoping for an errant Wi-Fi signal.”

“Uh huh.” Liam just nodded, not really understanding what Stiles was talking about, but it didn’t matter, he could smell the mix of excitement and curiosity that he most associated with his boyfriend. “What are you doing now?”

“Having a quick look at…Facebook.” Stiles mumbled, slowing his words as they both stared at the dozens of messages and posts on their walls, Stiles using two tabs to switch back and forth quickly. “Ok, so, people know that we’ve disappeared.”

“Yeah, they think something bad has happened! That one from Hayden was even a memorial, the bit-” 

“Ok, ok, don’t panic, relax!” Stiles turned to him and gripped his hand. “I can use an encrypted messaging service to send a video to your parents; Skype isn’t very secure, and we need more time to get, well, to work on your anger.”

“Fine.” Liam scowled. “What do I have to do?”

“C’mere,” Stiles stood up, taking the laptop over to one of the walls that was blank. “Over here, this way there won’t be any identifying features in the shot. And with the metadata scrubbed, they won’t have anything to go on. Just tell your parents whatever you want as long as you keep our location a secret. Ok?”

“I know, Stiles, I don’t want to go back either.” 

“Good.”

“Ok, is it on?” Liam glanced at him, his boyfriend nodding. He turned back to the laptop, looking into the built-in camera, forcing himself to smile. “Hey Mom and, err, Todd; step-father always feels so weird to say out loud, you know?” Liam laughed nervously, seeing Stiles arch his brows in confusion. “Um, anyway, as you can see: I’m alive! And I’m fine, I wish I could tell you what’s going on, but we had to leave Beacon Hills in the middle of the night for a really good reason. I think you’ve guessed that Stiles is with me, but it’s not what you think, Todd, it’s not because of _him_ we left. It’s, um, well, werewolf stuff just about covers it, but Scott doesn’t know about it. I guess it’s fair to say that only Stiles can help and that’s why we’re doing this. So, um, don’t try and find us, cos you won’t. I’ll check in with you in a few days and, um, maybe you can send a reply? I’m sure Stiles will provide instructions on how to do that, right?” Liam asked, seeing his boyfriend nod. “Ok. Um, I’m going to go, we have a lot of work to do. Goodbye.”

 

“Ok, great, well done.” Stiles smiled at him, and patted his shoulder, moving around to take Liam’s place in front of the camera. “I’ll send this one to Scott and my Dad, even though your parents will probably go to the Sheriff if they haven’t already once they get this.”

“Got it.” Liam nodded, watching him begin another recording.

“Hey Scott, Dad,” Stiles wetted his lips. “I know this isn’t what you wanted to see or even hear, but at least me and Liam are still alive. I’m pretty sure that thought as been bouncing around your minds for the past day or so, what with the way that Beacon Hills attracts trouble. I can’t tell you much, not until later anyway, Liam needs me, and that means we can’t deal with the distraction of high school right now. Plus, there was that issue of the werewolf with talons, stay on your guard, Scott, there could be worse out there. Dad, I know you’re going to try and find me, but I need you to trust me on this: me and Liam haven’t run off to get married or something crazy. Trust me that what we’re doing right now is in the best interests of the future of Beacon Hills and everyone around us, human and supernatural both. I’ll, uh, I’ll talk to you in a few days.”

Stiles released a breath as he ended the recording and looked at Liam, “That will hold them off for a while, but sooner or later they’ll start asking questions; I’ll send the videos so that they’ll get a link to them. After that, I’m going to log into the police servers, find out what they know about Theo. Um, maybe you should go for a run or something? Clear your mind?”

“Why? Don’t you want me here?”

“When you come back, we’re gonna talk.” Stiles replied, looking at his hands. “About why Theo is dead, and how we’re going to solve what caused you to kill him instead of just knocking him out.”

“Right, maybe some fresh air would be good.” Liam muttered, giving Stiles an icy glare. “I’ll see you in an hour.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We don’t have a first name for Dr Geyer according to the TW wiki, so Todd it is!
> 
> Fun Fact: Instant coffee can last up to 20 years, though I'm pretty sure at the end of that time period it wouldn't taste of much!


	91. Root Cause

Liam turned around and glared at the cabin in the distance, sun reflecting off the still surface of Big Bear Lake. The werewolf huffed, having run around in circles for the last fifteen minutes, wanting to go back to Stiles and tell him that they didn’t have to have this conversation, that they should…The thought trailed off again, just like it had before. Liam knew they had to talk about the murder, or the accident, whatever Stiles called it, he was happy to go along with that. Unless, of course, Stiles started to probe a little deeper into the specifics of the story Liam had come up with. He knew how inquisitive Stiles could be but acting guilty about the lie wasn’t going to help him.

The werewolf sat down on a fallen tree trunk and turned his hands over, watching the claws extend from his fingertips. “Fuck this,” Liam muttered, looking back over to where he could just make out the cabin, cleverly hidden amongst the trees and forest around him. “Would it be so bad to tell him? I mean, I know Stiles wouldn’t like that I was the one who pulled Theo back when he was going to walk away, but the guy pushed my buttons! He wanted Stiles all to himself! What was I meant to…” Liam stopped speaking as a small voice whispered treacherous words into his sub-consciousness. 

_You should have let him go, because you trust Stiles not to cheat on you…and because he had information that could’ve helped Scott and the pack._

“Yeah, but, he, grr!” Liam dug his claws into the edge of the tree, splinters flying around him. “I had to wipe that smug grin off Theo’s stupidly handsome face! He practically made me!” Except that didn’t ring true, even to him as he glowered at the trees around him. It was like all the other times the IED had made itself known; random and violent explosions of anger that Liam couldn’t control; rage that felt so _good_ to release, even if moments after it had drained away, shame and embarrassment crashed over him. “I suppose it makes a kind of sense; every time it just gets worse, and the triggers keep getting bigger and bigger, maybe that’s progress. Maybe not.” Liam muttered, thinking back to the other occasions before he had destroyed that car and got kicked out of school; the times he trashed his room just because something didn’t go his way: a test at school, the guy he liked at Devenford being straight, losing a boss fight on the final level of _Dark Souls._ “But Stiles wants to help me, and I need to get this under control,” The werewolf stood up, looking back at the shredded tree he had been sitting on. “When I lash out now, there are claws at the end.”

 

“Hmm, I suppose that could work, just talk to him.” Stiles muttered to himself as he finished reading an article about anger control on _Psychology Today_. He had already sent the links to their videos to his Dad and to Liam’s parents, adding the instructions on how to send a response like Liam had requested, though he was pretty sure that the only thing Dr Geyer would be saying was to come home. Stiles had even taken the time to go back to their Facebook pages and issued a statement saying that he and Liam were alive and well, just no longer in Beacon Hills, while also requesting that Hayden stop memorializing them. “Because that’s part of my life now…”

He stood up and walked outside, blinking in the bright noon sun, seeing Liam returning from his run, his boyfriend’s cheeks flushed and eyes bright. “Hey,” Stiles called out, waving for Liam to come and sit next to him on the grassy bank near the lake. “How was your run?”

“Good.” Liam nodded gratefully as Stiles handed him a towel and a bottle of water, pausing to wipe the sweat away. “It was good to get some time to think too, um, before this.”

“Yeah, if there’s something this place does well, it’s giving you a chance to reflect on everything.” Stiles sighed and looked at him. “Look, I know you don’t want to talk about this, and I don’t like discussing it either, but I think it’s a good idea for us to try and figure out some way of coping, right?”

“It’s my responsibility, Stiles, not yours.”

“Ok, but think about this,” He paused, chewing on his lip for a moment. “If we weren’t together, as boyfriends, would you have reacted the way you did?”

“Well, no, of course not.” Liam shook his head. “I know what you’re getting at, I was thinking about it out in the forest, I thought Theo was going to replace me and I misread his intentions, he attacked first, but I still went beyond just defending myself.”

“Hmm, why?”

“Because if Theo was gone, then I wouldn’t have to worry about losing you.” Liam replied, not meeting Stiles’ gaze.

“Ok,” He kept his voice neutral, remaining calm to steady his pulse and heartbeat. “But you didn’t trust me enough not to say no to him if he tried to, err, muscle in?”

“What? Of course, I trust you!” Liam cried out. “I thought that because he’s a werewolf that he might, you know, _force_ you.”

“Um, ok, I guess that’s a valid point. But how come you don’t force people to do what you want them to? Or Scott doesn’t? Or any other supernatural we know? How come they don’t all use their strength and abilities to just take what they want?” Stiles responded, his eyes holding Liam’s mournful expression.

“Um, because they’re good people and they just wouldn’t?” Liam asked him tentatively. “But not all supernaturals are that nice!”

“Maybe not, but while Theo was hiding something from us, I never got an aggressive vibe from him.” Stiles shrugged as Liam’s expression soured. “You remember his backstory, right? I told you about it during the stakeout.”

“Yeah, so?”

“So, Theo knew what it was like to be forced to do things he didn’t want to.” Stiles explained patiently. “Now, whether or not he would have done something, we’re never going to know, and the real issue here, Liam, is why you used your claws and didn’t just push him into the river. That would have been easier, right?”

“Yeah, but I _told_ you, I lost control.” Liam whined in response, shuffling closer to Stiles. “I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

“So, let’s figure out some ways for you to keep control, even in those situations where you’re under extreme stress and the urge to act aggressively is overwhelming.” Stiles took a drink of his own water and continued. “However, we also have to talk about your control of the wolf within, I know I’m your anchor, but that doesn’t seem to be working the way it’s supposed to.”

“I’m fine when I’m with you.” Liam pointed out.

“Sure, but that should still hold true when I’m _not_ with you.” Stiles shrugged, grimacing. “You should be able to think about us, and just feel calmer, at least, that’s how Scott explained it, and, well, Allison is gone.”

“I’ll try.” Liam whispered, nodding. “I want to try, I don’t want this to happen again.”

“Good, that’s good.” Stiles grinned at him and stood up, helping Liam to stand. “We’ll leave it there, and think about it some more, so that this evening or tomorrow we can get started again, ok? You’ve made a lot of progress today.”

“Uh, I have?” He snickered a little at his boyfriend, “You’re really sounding like a shrink, you know?”

“Yup, lots of progress!” Stiles ignored the jab, “I think realizing that Theo’s death was more about the fear of him trying to take me unwillingly than any overtly murderous intent on your part is good.”

“Right,” Liam murmured, his mind flashing back to that night; Theo grinning at him as he talked about Stiles being _his,_ Theo falling to the ground, Liam’s claws slicing through his throat. He snapped back to the present as Stiles took an involuntary step back from him. “Yeah, sorry, my eyes must be glowing.”

“Oh, they are.” Stiles whispered, staring at his boyfriend’s cobalt blue orbs, his own eyes widening in surprise as the supernatural radiance flickered and twisted, becoming less intense. “Fuck…” Liam’s werewolf blue eyes had changed into an eerie silver glow that was utterly unlike anything Stiles had seen before, the black iris haloed in a blood red circle. “Err.”

“What? What’s wrong?!”

“Your eyes,” He swallowed hard, “They’re not blue anymore…”


	92. On the Other Side of the Mirror

Stiles reversed the Jeep slowly, grabbing the headrest of Liam’s seat and looking out the rear window. “This space is really tight, maybe I should’ve just backed out onto the trail.”

“Uh huh.” Liam grunted, shrugging. He had been silent ever since Stiles had told him that his eyes were a different color. The werewolf didn’t know what to think, anxiety gripping his stomach when he realized that Stiles didn’t know what was happening to him either. “Uh, turn more right, you’ll hit the log pile otherwise. No! Your other right!”

“Ah! Got it!” Stiles grinned, changing gear and turning carefully, the front fender just missing the edge of the stacked wood. “Ok, not too bad.” He glanced at Liam, smirking when he saw his boyfriend’s unamused expression. “Well, it could’ve been worse!”

“If you say so.”

“It’s about a forty minute drive to the store,” Stiles explained, inching out of the narrow driveway and onto the uneven surface of the track that led through the forest. “So, plenty of time to think about anything in particular we need, or you want, or we-”

“Should talk.” Liam cut across him, staring at his hands, almost afraid to look into the vanity mirror. “You never said what color they were.”

“Yeah, I know, but I’m still trying to figure out what might have caused the change in your eyes.” He replied, scratching at the back of his head absently. “Because they were definitely blue only a day ago, right?”

“Um, yeah.”

“Ok, so, according to everything I know, werewolf eyes change because of two things: either a shift in their status, like when one becomes an Alpha.”

“Or if they lose Alpha status and become a Beta.” Liam filled in as Stiles paused to swerve around a family of beavers that were just standing in the middle of the track, looking at them without concern. “Err, ok. Um, what else could cause something like this?”

“I don’t know.” Stiles frowned, chewing his lip. “Maybe Theo wasn’t an innocent person, right? Since whenever a werewolf, or werecoyote, kills an innocent person their eyes turn blue. I’ve never seen what happens when they kill someone who was obviously evil, but maybe this happens?”

“I would’ve thought that their eyes just stay yellow, or red.” Liam grunted as silence fell between them. “Was there anything else odd about them, or are they just pure silver?”

“Well, not like bright, shining silver.” Stiles responded, slowing down as he thought about what he had seen a short while ago. “There was like this super-thin band of red around the iris, almost as though it was holding back the silver from taking over the blackness. Hmm, and it wasn’t just any red, not Alpha red either, but red like freshly spilled blood.” He turned to Liam as they came onto a straight part of the trail. “I don’t know what it means, not yet, but we’ll figure it out. If Deaton was here, maybe he’d know, or hell, I bet someone like Peter Hale would know all the crazy shit about werewolves and their eyes.”

“Why him?”

“Well, he always seemed to be obsessed with creating the _ultimate_ Alpha werewolf-himself-so I figure he might have come across something like this before.” Stiles shrugged. “I can think of one other reason this might be happening, but it’s too insane, and besides, if it was true, I would have thought your eyes would turn green.”

“ _Green?_ ” Liam frowned at him. “Why green?”

“That’s a mix of yellow and blue, right? Yellow for your base werewolf who hasn’t killed anyone, or at least, no one innocent. And blue for those that do.” He sped up as the trail widened and the surface transitioned to gravel chips instead of mud. “We’re travelling along the road the forest workers use to get around-I looked it up while you were asleep, trying to get a handle on who might be nearby.”

“Right.” Liam nodded slowly, letting Stiles ramble on about the nearest camp grounds and hunter zones, his thoughts pulled back to what his boyfriend had just said. _Green eyes, that’s what Kate Argent had, but I think he meant something different, like maybe Theo was…still alive? No, that’s crazy, I know he’s dead, I killed him myself, heard his heart stop beating and everything. Plus, I had my blue eyes up to a few hours ago. Fuck! If only I could convince Stiles to talk to Scott, see what’s happening in Beacon Hills, but he thinks we’re safest cut off from everyone. I guess I should trust his judgement._ “Huh?”

“I said, we’re almost to the main road!” Stiles shook his head at Liam. “Daydreaming, huh? We need to be careful, Liam, blend in with everyone else, get what we have to, and head home quick, no waiting around.”

“I understand.” Liam looked at the clock on the dashboard and then frowned at Stiles. “You said it would take forty minutes; that was fifteen minutes ago!” How fast are you going?”

“Clipping along,” Stiles replied evasively, moving his arm so Liam couldn’t see the speedometer. “Ok, so, the cover story is that we’re camping for the week out near Crystal Lake, which is about thirty miles north-east of here, and we’re getting supplies before we go.”

“We need a cover story?”

“Of course! Can’t be too careful, Liam.” Stiles answered, breathing a sigh of relief as they left the forest trail behind and he roared onto the highway leading towards the small town that clung to the edge of Gold Mountain. “This is more like it! And look, Liam: no traffic!”

“Aren’t we on the run? Maybe you should slow down.” The werewolf released the breath he’d been holding in when Stiles eased off the accelerator, grumbling darkly about his fun being ruined. “We can go all out off-roading back on those forest trails if you want, just watch out for the beavers, they had no shits to give.”

“Haha, true enough!” Stiles grinned at him, nodding at the general store at the center of the one-street town. “That looks like it, don’t think anything has changed since I was here as a kid.”

“Uh huh, parking over there.” Liam pointed, the anxious sensation returning to his stomach as they prepared to go in. “Maybe I should just stay in the car?”

“No, don’t.” Stiles shook his head. “I’ll need your help to carry everything out.” He got out of the Jeep and smiled at his boyfriend. “We’ll be fine.”

 

“Are you guys alright?” The stock boy came over to them as Stiles and Liam were comparing boxes of cereal. “Anything I can help you with?”

“He’s looking for Lucky Charms,” Stiles sighed, glancing at the cute, if somewhat young, clerk. “Do you have any in the back?”

“Um, I’ll go check for you.”

“Thanks.” Stiles turned to Liam. “Stay here, and if he doesn’t have what you need, get something else, ok? I need to see if they’ll sell me an axe, I noticed the one at the cabin is blunt as all hell.”

“Got it.” Liam nodded, holding onto their trolley and looking around. “Hmm.”

“Uh, I’m sorry, we don’t have any Lucky Charms.” The stock boy was back, offering him an apologetic smile. “Most people shop now at the big box store in the resort near Silver Creek.”

“It’s cool, Frosted Flakes are fine.” Liam dropped the box into the trolley, spying on the guy out of the corner of his eye. _Pretty hot, maybe fifteen or fourteen though, guess this is his after school job. Oh, crap, he caught me!_ “Uh, yeah, thanks.” Liam stammered, flushing as the stock boy smiled at him, perfect teeth and sparkling blue eyes. The werewolf took a deep breath, feeling his pulse quicken when the other guy turned around and walked away, pert butt drawing Liam’s eye.

“Liam?”

“Uh! Yeah?” He wrenched his eyes as Stiles came back to him, placing a short hatchet on top of the cartons of milk and juice, moving aside the tins of coffee and tea. “Um, I got the cereal.”

“Yeah, I saw that.” Stiles smirked at him. “Did you get his number too?”

“What? No!” The werewolf replied defensively as Stiles nudged him playfully. “I’ll get the meat next, we have a freezer, right?”

“Yeah, go get the meat!” Stiles sniggered, stopping in front of the impressive array of candy. “Hmm, I wonder…”

Liam ignored his remark and walked over to the counter, swallowing hard as the stock boy looked at him expectantly. _What is he, the only guy who works here?_ “Um, we’re going camping up at, err, Crystal Lake, uh, can you recommend anything? I haven’t really done this whole outdoors thing before.”

“Your boyfriend taking you?”

“That’s right.” Liam nodded, watching as his skilled hands picked up a joint of cooked ham and began cutting it into thin slices. “Uh, he did get bread, so, that’s probably a good idea.”

“Yup!” The stock boy pointed at the steaks as Liam nodded again. “These are easy to cook, even on a campfire or barbeque. Oh, and you should take some sausages, too. I have some big ones over here!”

“Mmh?” Liam managed a strangled groan and closed his eyes in embarrassment as the guy walked over to pick up a string of sausages, only opening them when the stock boy was back in front of him again. He silently cursed his enhanced senses as he picked up the smell of arousal and eagerness from the teenager opposite him. “Uh, thanks.”

“You know, the lake up there is pretty stellar for swimming in: really clear and still quite warm for this late in the season. Here, let me get you a map, show you some good places.” He started pointing out the areas to Liam, leaning in a little closer than necessary as their arms brushed together. 

“Thanks for everything.” Liam backed off hurriedly, pressing his lips together and nodding at the stock boy as Stiles approached, ready to pay for everything. “I’ll, um, I’ll be outside.”

“Sure.” Stiles smirked at him and started taking everything out for the stock boy to ring them up. “Just don’t go too far, I’ll need your help to bring all this to the Jeep!”

 

“You’ve been awfully quiet, even after we almost ran over that family of red foxes!” Stiles said to him as they sat on the couch in the living room of the cabin, looking through the back windows at the sun beginning to set, a splash of red and orange across the sky behind the trees. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, of course.” Liam shrugged, glancing at his boyfriend, dropping his gaze before Stiles could meet his eyes. “I just…that guy at the store was really friendly.”

“Only to you.”

“I know, but I wasn’t interested in him or anything like that, Stiles.”

“Uh, yeah, I know. It was just some innocent flirting.” Stiles frowned at him. “Why would you think that I’d be suspicious or jealous of you?”

“Err.” Liam didn’t answer even as he heard it echo in his mind. _Because I would be…_

“Oh, right, because that’s, huh, what happened with Theo.” Stiles sat up, kicking his shoes off to pull his legs onto the sofa. He nodded at the hatchet that was resting next to the pile of wood at the fireplace. “So, what would you think of me if I went back to Gold Mountain tonight and waited for that cute stock boy to finish his job, and then bashed over the head with that axe, maybe slitting his throat if he fought back against me?”

“What?!” Liam stared at him. “Why would you do that?”

“Well, the way he was acting, being all flirty and into you and everything,” Stiles smiled darkly. “I mean, that’s how we solve our problems, right, Liam?”

“No! Of course not, he’s just an innocent kid! Why would think…oh.” The werewolf stopped speaking as the reality of what Stiles was saying hit him. “I, I, Theo was, I thought I didn’t…And he attacked me first!”

“Does it matter, Liam?” Stiles asked him quietly. “Even if he did throw the first punch, you’re still the one who killed him.”

“I know, I know, but-” Liam cut himself off, a sob erupting upwards from the core of his being. He tried to control the tears, but they sprang from his eyes despite the way he furiously kneaded his knuckles into the lids. “I’m not saying, I’m!” The teenager struggled to breathe, relaxing slightly when he felt Stiles’ arms wrap around his body and pull him close, hands rubbing circles on his back and stroking his arms supportively. Liam kept his eyes shut tight, unwilling to escape from the comforting darkness, a single whisper slipping out amid the tears. “I killed him!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for not updating this story as regularly as usual, been focusing on some other works. I hope to resume more frequent updates from now on.


	93. Two Steps Back

Liam sat on the edge of the couch, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, throat raw, accepting the cup of hot tea that Stiles pressed into his other hand. “Thanks,” He muttered, a flush of embarrassment creeping up his neck after his breakdown, but Stiles didn’t seem to notice. “What do I do now?”

“Hmm, well, that was the easy part,” Stiles sat next to him again, brows furrowed. “Admitting guilt, saying it out loud, accepting that things have to change; that’s great, but-”

“I haven’t actually done anything to change, right?”

“Exactly.” He nodded. “The problem as I see it, is the werewolf part of you; if you were just a human, I’d say we find some medication you could take to keep calm and relaxed, and then go for intensive therapy to deal with the emotional stuff. But the way you are able regenerate your body means that plan probably wouldn’t work. We’d need a pharmacist or chemist with special understanding to even think about going down that route.” 

“Don’t suppose you know any of those?” Liam asked hopefully, shrugging when Stiles glanced at him. “Ok, well, you do have a plan, don’t you?”

“Of a sort.” Stiles waited for Liam to take a drink of the tea and began speaking again. “Ok, so, there two things you need to do in order for us to go back home and keep everyone safe. First off, you’re a werewolf, so there’s a natural conflict between your human instincts and your animal ones. It’s something I’ve seen them all struggle with; Scott, Malia, Jackson, all of them. You’re just more complicated by the fact that you also have to deal with the IED on top of that. Honestly, Liam, part of me hoped that you being a werewolf would have wiped out the IED too, but that obviously didn’t come to pass.”

“Master the wolf within? Is that what you mean?”

“Yeah, I figure once you’ve got complete control over yourself during full moons and in situations of stress, then you’ll be able to channel your human emotions positively.” Stiles stood up and began pacing in front of him, Liam following him with his eyes. “As for _how_ we’re going to do all that without disappearing for months, well, I was thinking that maybe you should consider this thing called threshold testing.”

“What’s that?”

“Basically, it’s like a test to see how long you can control your anger before you explode and try and to kill…something.” Stiles paused and looked at him carefully. “We can talk and talk and say that we’re making progress, but this isn’t like you lost your temper and destroyed your coach’s car.”

“I know.” Liam replied defensively, draining the cup, the hot, sweet liquid burning a comforting path down his chest to his stomach. “Theo is dead because of me, because I…misread the situation and used my claws when I should have used my words, right, Stiles?”

“Yeah, that’s right.” He murmured, frowning at his boyfriend, arms folded. “He attacked you, didn’t he? Theo, I mean.”

“That’s what I said.”

“Right, of course it is.”

 

There were a few minutes of strained silence as Liam kept his gaze steady, remembering that Stiles couldn’t hear his heart racing or smell the guilt in his scent. The older teen kept watching him however, as though Stiles was trying to make him break. Just as Liam was about to speak, there was a loud beep from the fortified room at the other end of the cabin. “What’s that?”

“I set up an alert for our names in case my Dad issued an APB or Missing Person’s report.” Stiles explained as they walked towards the room. “The proxy network on the connection here makes sure they can never trace us, so it’s ok to leave the computer on all the time.”

“If you say so.”

“Ok, what do we have here?” Stiles sat into the chair and tapped on a few of the keys, nodding to himself. “Yeah, that’s what I thought: we’re officially in the system now as Missing Persons. There’s a federal database to find kids who run away, get lost, or get taken, especially since they might go across state lines, and to share resources among law enforcement.”

“So, what does that mean for us?”

“That my Dad and your parents are actively looking for us.” Stiles tapped another set of keys, frowning in confusion. “What the hell?”

“What?” Liam stared at the screen, shaking his head. “It just says ‘No file selected,’ what’s the big deal?”

“That was the file designator for Theo Raeken’s case.” He muttered, not seeing Liam go still. “It’s been deleted.”

“Why were you looking at it in the first place?”

“I wanted to know what had happened to him, err, what the Sheriff’s Department thought happened. It could have helped us if they had ruled the death as an animal attack or misadventure.”

“Misadventure?” Liam sniggered. “What does that mean?”

“Err, basically, that Theo died through ignoring the risks of whatever he was doing, like, maybe they’d think he slipped on the bank while paying tribute to his sister and hit his head.” Stiles explained, looking back at him. “The last time I looked at the file, the body was still in the morgue, no way they could have performed the post-mortem and closed the case. Even then, they still have to keep the file for the inquest.”

“Ok, so, can you see who deleted the file?” Liam crouched over his shoulder, looking at the screen as Stiles began typing, hacking into the records system. “Do you not have access?”

“As a false Deputy, yeah, but I need full administrator privileges to see everything.” He hummed, tapping his fingers against his thumb as the bypass software from his uncle’s computer breached the firewall. “This program is pretty awesome! I’m in after twenty seconds, this would’ve taken hours at home trying to guess my Dad’s password!”

“Err, great?”

“And here we go…” Stiles scanned the records, grunting as he found what they were looking for. “Fuck.”

“What?!”

“Whoever deleted the file also deleted the backup record system and left no trace. They knew what they were doing too.” He sighed and stood up, gesturing for Liam to follow him back to the main room. “It could’ve been a deputy, but I don’t know why they’d do that, unless…maybe they lost the body?”

“You think so?” Liam arched a brow at him. “How would that have happened?”

“Theo was a werewolf, that would have come up in the autopsy,” Stiles started pacing again, gesturing to illustrate his points. “He didn’t have a pack, so they wouldn’t be there to cover his tracks, and based on everything he told us about his parents, I don’t think they would care about…unless they took the body and disposed of it in some way that made the revelation of his true nature impossible.”

“Eww,” Liam pulled a face. “How do you know it wasn’t Deaton or Scott that intervened? It wouldn’t be good, but maybe your Dad realized Theo wasn’t just an ordinary teenager?”

“Maybe,” Stiles nodded. “But then I’d have expected my Dad or Scott to send back a video message saying that they covered up Theo’s death, perhaps thinking we were involved, or even that whoever killed Theo was after us too.”

“The second one sounds better.” The werewolf brightened up suddenly. “So, if there’s no file and no body, then no crime was committed!”

“ _What?_ ” Stiles stared at him.

“Well, I mean, yeah, we have the anger issues to deal with and I’ll get a handle on my jealousy. We can still do all that threshold testing like you said,” Liam shrugged, “and everything. But if Theo’s body has disappeared and the police aren’t following it up, then we don’t have to worry about me getting into trouble. I can’t really see Scott handing me over, especially since he doesn’t ever have to know!”

“Really?” Stiles asked quietly, eyes narrowing at his boyfriend’s sudden grin. “We keep the secret and pretend that it never happened?”

“Sure, we’ll use that cover-story you made up: about running off to get married and-”

“Liam, what happens the next time your jealousy or anger gets the better of your control?” Stiles cut across him. “Will you get rid of that body too? Will you hide it from me because, ‘no body, no crime,’ right?”

“Stiles, I didn’t mean-”

“I imagine you could justify it any way you wanted to.” He paused, anger showing on his face as it laced his scent, making Liam avoid his gaze. “Just like Peter Hale, just like the Benefactor. But I’m not going to let you become them, you _will_ learn to master your emotions, you _will_ realize that killing Theo was wrong regardless of whether there’s evidence against you or not.”

“Fine.” Liam shrugged, standing up, expression becoming hurt when Stiles stepped back from him. “I said I’d do the training, I don’t want this to happen again.”

“It _can’t_ happen again!”

“Yeah, but, c’mon, Stiles, you know the threats that are out there.” Liam wet his lips, reaching for him. “And you know that Scott won’t ever kill to protect the pack or anyone he cares about, maybe, maybe, it’s necessary to have a werewolf who can do that: for special reasons only, justifiable ones.”

“Necessary…” Stiles murmured, feeling his pulse quicken as he realized what it would take to convince Liam to correct his path. “I need you to wait here.”

“But-”

“I’ll be back in a minute.” Stiles waved at him, seeing Liam shrug and collapse onto the couch. He walked quickly out to the pile of wood stacked against the cabin, pulling out the loose log that hid the gun, his hands shaking as he picked the bundle up, unwrapping the cloth that covered it. _I never thought it would come to this, but if it’s the right sort of motivation…He doesn’t seem to be understanding why what he did is wrong._ Stiles stood back up and slid out the clip from the gun, nodding at the wolfsbane-tipped bullets, the slight blue tinge to the copper-jackets confirming the extra lethality. He reloaded the gun, pulling back the slide to load the chamber and ensured that the safety was on. _I don’t want to actually shoot him…_

 

“Stiles, what’s…” Liam trailed off, his blood running cold as the burning scent of wolfsbane arrived ahead of his boyfriend. He swallowed hard, seeing the silver, metal weapon in Stiles’ hand. “What are you doing?”

“It’s like you said, Scott won’t ever kill to protect Beacon Hills from the monster.” Stiles replied, his voice cold as he turned the gun over in his hands, finger on the grip, away from the trigger. “And you were right, sometimes you have to do terrible things in order to keep your loved ones alive.” 

“Stiles!”

“This isn’t a game, Liam, the choices you make right now are what’s going to inform whether or not I need to pick this gun up again.” He placed the weapon on the counter next to him, looking at Liam. “It’s not about Theo, or getting caught, or having to take a life, whatever the circumstances. This is about you telling me that you _want_ to get better, that you can understand why you need this level of control. So, are you going to train with me to get a handle on your anger? Or…” Stiles looked pointedly at the gun. “Do we end this right now?”

Liam was silent for a minute, staring at his hands as thoughts raced across his mind; everything from wondering where Stiles got the gun, to whether his boyfriend would actually shoot him, to questions about why he was even having this conversation. Eventually, the werewolf looked up, smiling at Stiles. “I guess it’s a good thing that it’s so remote out here.”

“Oh?” The older teen resisted the urge to grab the gun as Liam’s eyes began to glow silver. _Shit! I must have pushed too hard, should’ve left the safety off!_ “Why’s that, Liam?”

“So no one will be able to hear the sound of my fist punching all those trees in frustration after I screw up the threshold testing.” He grinned at Stiles. “You’re right, and I don’t know why I was even thinking those other things, there’s only way out of this, and that’s with you, not against you. I’ll never be against you, Stiles.”


	94. Pushed to the Edge

Liam dumped the last segment of the tree trunk in front of Stiles and stood back, breathing heavily. He had shucked his t-shirt almost as soon as he begun, the hot Fall sun beating down on his bare back and shoulders. Stiles was sitting across from him, open book balanced on his knees and sipping an ice-cold soda, a scent of mild disdain projected in front of him. “There, last one, see?”

“Hmm.” His boyfriend frowned, tilting his sunglasses down to look at the large, circular logs. Stiles shook his head and glanced at Liam. “No. No. No. This won’t do at all, Liam!”

“What’s wrong with them this time?” The werewolf growled as he folded his arms across his heaving chest, his muscles beginning to ache from all the heavy lifting.

“They’re all different shapes and sizes, how am I meant to light a fire with one shard bigger than this book and another the size of this can of delicious, cold, refreshing coke?” Stiles struggled to hide an evil grin and pointed to the forest. “Do it again!”

“ _Stiles!_ ” Liam snarled, his eyes flashing silver. Just as the werewolf felt his claws slide out, he was able to rein his anger back and he sheathed the claws. “Fuck, that was close.”

“Yeah, but you stopped it.” Stiles closed the book and stood up. He walked across to Liam and smiled genuinely at him, reaching out to grip his shoulder. “You looked like you were about to tear _me_ in half, not the tree trunk. But you didn’t.”

“That’s because it’s you!”

“It’s still progress.” Stiles reminded him, squeezing his boyfriend’s shoulder to stress the achievement. He stood back and gestured at the forest’s edge again. “But I need you to be able to not display any outwards signs of aggression: no glowing eyes and no claws. We’ve already got you able to keep the fangs from dropping down, but that was yesterday’s milestone.”

“Don’t ya think we’ve enough firewood?” Liam grumbled, pointing at the pile of timber that stretched across the lakeshore, higher than Roscoe and twice as wide. “Is this even legal?”

“Probably not on this scale, but look on the bright side, you’re helping the beavers build bigger dams!” 

“I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“Uh huh,” Stiles turned away and sat back down, dismissing Liam with a wave. “Enough stalling and get moving, werewolf!”

“Grr.” Liam growled half-heartedly, but he jogged back into the forest, picking up the woodman’s axe as he passed the stump he had been using as a chopping block. _Fuck, does he have to act like such a jerk? I mean, I know he’s only pretending and it’s all for show, but he does it so well! It is working, I guess…the first time he sent me back for more wood, I did almost go all blood-rage on him._

The werewolf shuddered at the memory from two days before, the rage flooding through him unimpeded as he reacted to Stiles’ smug grin and dismissive attitude. Liam had lunged forward, not at all resisting his emotions, only the muzzle of the loaded wolfsbane gun suddenly pressing into his stomach had forced him to stop. Shame had burned the anger away instantly and Liam had tried to flee, Stiles grabbing his arms and pulling him back into a calming embrace. It was that moment that really crystalized the danger for Liam and demonstrated that while Theo’s death was mostly accidental, he had almost killed Stiles intentionally during an exercise designed to help him. 

“Never again.” Liam vowed to the empty forest around him. He nodded and hefted the axe, looking for a suitable tree to cut down. _I told Stiles that I don’t need this weapon, but he thinks punching trees to get the wood is counter-productive…_

 

As the early evening sun drew in, Stiles lowered his book to look at Liam’s sweat-streaked figure, hauling over almost uniform blocks of wood to lie in a line before him. The older teenager hummed to himself, avoiding complimenting his boyfriend as he would have done normally, remembering that the point was to try and enrage Liam. Stiles stood up and walked slowly down the line, nodding as though he approved.

“Well?” Liam looked at him hopefully, tanned skin shining in the fading light. “Is it good enough?”

“Mmh, err, well,” Stiles glanced up at him, shaking his head ruefully. He gestured at the logs. “They _are_ uniform, yes, but Liam, these are pine, I specifically asked for spruce.”

“What?!” Liam exploded. “No, you didn’t! You just said a tree! This is unbelievable! Stiles, you can’t just-”

“That’s for sure!” Stiles agreed, a massive grin spreading across his face. He pointed at Liam’s quivering form, fury barely contained within. “Your eyes are normal, your hands are clenched, but there’s no blood dripping out, so, there’s no claws out. I know you’re shaking with anger, but that’s some serious progress!”

“Err…right.” The werewolf frowned as the rage drained away in his confusion. “So, are the trees ok?”

“Forget about the tree, you did it, Liam!” Stiles grinned at him and peeled off his t-shirt. He nodded at the lake. “Let’s go take a dip before I make dinner; I’ve had some chicken marinating in a spicy sauce since this morning, sound good? I’ll put on some rice, we can eat outside, maybe crack open a tub of that ice cream we bought, huh?”

“Yeah.” Liam mumbled, confused by how quickly Stiles could go from pretend villain to his loving boyfriend in the time it took for him to breathe. The werewolf brightened up as Stiles’ words began to sink in. “Wait, I did it, didn’t I?!”

“Yup.” Stiles led him out onto the jetty and grinned at the clear water, able to see down to the sandy bottom. “You sure did.” _Now, let’s push just a little more to make sure._ He waited for Liam to stand on the edge next to him, their clothes discarded in a pile nearby. Stiles shoved Liam into the water suddenly, deftly grabbing the axe from his hands as Liam yelled in alarm and crashed off the edge. “Still calm?”

“I’m gonna get you for this, Stiles!” Liam roared out, thrashing around in the cold water. 

“Gotta catch me first!” He laid the axe down carefully before taking a running jump over Liam’s head into the water. “CANNONBALL!!” Stiles smashed into the lake, remembering to pull his legs into his chest before impact, a massive wave rolling backwards and buffeting Liam.

“You’re so dead!” Liam cried good-humouredly, swimming over to dunk Stiles, unable to stop laughing as they rough-housed and splashed at each other. After nearly twenty minutes of play, Liam pulled himself out and reached down to grab Stiles’ hand, helping him back up onto the jetty. They sat next to each other, naked and dripping water on the smooth wooden boards. “Thanks, Stiles.”

“For what?” He frowned in confusion. “I put you through hell today.”

“It was worth it, I don’t think anyone else would have the patience or courage to help me the way you are doing right now.” Liam sighed contentedly and rested his head on Stiles’ shoulder. “I kinda wanna stay here forever, just like this.”  
Stiles nodded silently, not wanting to sully the moment with words. He just reached down and slotted the fingers of his hand into Liam’s as they watched the sun set in a blaze of red and orange.

 

They were up early the following day, Stiles having devised a new threshold test for Liam the night before as they recorded more messages for their parents. Liam had received one back from his Mom and step-father, but hadn’t played it in front of Stiles, instead spending half an hour in their room alone. Stiles didn’t ask about the contents, trusting that Liam would tell him if he wanted to. But there was no difference in the energy between them, the werewolf appearing ready to get on with the day’s trials. 

“So, what do I have to do?” Liam asked as he crunched his way through a bowl of Frosted Flakes. “More tree stuff?”

“No, not anymore. Physical testing can only get us so far.” Stiles pursed his lips as he read the back of the cereal box. “I was thinking something more like talking therapy: I’ll bring you through a couple of scenarios and re-enact them for you to make it feel legit. Your job will be to remain calm and find solutions that don’t involve the use of your werewolf abilities, threats, or anger. Got it?”

“Sounds fun.”

“Yeah, well, don’t rush your breakfast or anything.” Stiles muttered, shaking his head. He made to grab the bowl from Liam, “Don’t you know how much sugar is in a single serving? There’s like three in that bowl!”

“No!” Liam growled, guarding the Frosted Flakes from Stiles’ hands. “They’re grrreat!”

“Pft! Uh huh, haha!” Stiles sniggered at him. But he shrugged and went over to make himself some coffee. “Maybe I should hold the box of cereal captive in one of our exercises!”


	95. The Hidden Talents of Stiles Stilinski, Artificer Extraordinaire

Stiles looked up from the table and peered out the window. He had heard a shout of frustration and could now see the ripples from splashes in the lake. “Damn, Liam must have fallen in again.” He sighed and carefully placed the metal tube he was tinkering with on the wooden surface, before standing up and heading outside. The sun wasn’t as bright as it had been the days before, clouds obscuring it for most of the morning. “Hey Liam, you ok?”

“Yeah.” The werewolf grunted, pulling himself out of the lake. He shook his head, wet hair spraying water everywhere. “I fell off.”

“I heard.” Stiles folded his arms and nodded at a narrow wooden pillar that had been driven into the lake bed about a dozen feet from the shore, several feet of it exposed above the lapping water. “Maybe we should consider abandoning this exercise, you’ve been at it for hours.”

“I can do it!”

“Hmm, ok.” Stiles watched as Liam turned around determinedly and dived into the water, swimming over to the pillar. He reached up and pulled himself onto it, the werewolf turning carefully so he could stand upright. Stiles frowned when Liam raised his right leg and glared at the water. “This is nuts.”

“Hey!” Liam called out, waving his arms at Stiles. “You said I could come up with a test and this will work!”

“Sure.” Stiles shrugged helplessly, seeing Liam’s eyes search the water until a flash of silver scales grabbed his attention. The werewolf reached down to the pillar’s other side and pulled out a long stick with a net on the end from the water. He held it aloft over his head, still managing to balance on just one foot. _I really don’t see how this is going to help. We could have been doing the “Bouncer checks ID at Sinema” scenario again, this time without the claw marks in the door…_

“Hah!” Liam yelled out triumphantly, stabbing wildly at the water, before pulling the net out and brandishing a struggling trout above his head. “Yay! See, Stiles? I knew I could do it without killing anything!”

“Err, great? Put it back now, Liam.” Stiles instructed. He turned around and made his way off the jetty to the shore, waiting for his boyfriend to return, the fish swimming free.

“Did you see?!”

“Yeah, I saw.” Stiles patted his naked shoulder and handed him a nearby towel. “C’mon back, I’ll make you something to drink, I think we might even have hot chocolate.”

“I’m not cold.” Liam glanced at him strangely, the furrowed brows of his boyfriend making him realize that Stiles was deep in thought. He smiled and bumped into Stiles affectionately. “Thanks, hot chocolate sounds great.”

“The powdered milk might act as the suspension residue if I can…I’ll look that up later.” Stiles muttered to himself, blinking and turning to Liam. “Um, so you completed the test. What did you learn?”

“Patience, mostly.” Liam nodded, familiar with this exercise by now. They had been doing it for the past week and a half, every time he passed a test or overcame a trial or made it through one of Stiles’ infuriating scenarios, Liam would break it down with him and talk about what had worked and what hadn’t. At first, he thought it was a stupid idea, but as time went on the werewolf could see the value in learning from his mistakes and avoiding new ones based on his past experiences. “Patience and control.”

“Good, what else?”

“Determination. I really wanted to do it, to, uh, so you’d see that I could.” Liam flushed at the words, seeing Stiles smile. He continued, “Plus, it was a really good distraction, to just focus on finding the fish and keeping my balance without falling off.”

“Why did you keep falling off?” Stiles asked quietly as he held the door open for Liam. 

“Because I started thinking about killing Theo, or the other exercises, or the fact my parents really want me to come home.” Liam explained, wrapping the towel around his waist and stepping out of his dripping shorts. “But I don’t think that’s going to be a problem anymore. Even if I can’t stand on the log in reality, I can still push myself back there in my mind and stay calm using those memories.”

“Excellent work, Liam.” Stiles kissed his cheek and walked into the kitchen. “We’ll have to test that theory later! I’ll admit I wasn’t sure about the idea for, well, up until five minutes ago. But I can see you put a lot of thought into this test. You’re kind of a genius, huh?”

“Um, not me.” Liam stared at the table next to the window. The surface was covered with tubes of all different sizes and materials, parts of a syringe with the plunger pulled all the way out, a container no larger than his thumb was full of a faintly glowing azure powder, and as Liam pulled his eyes away from the deadly wolfsbane, he cast his gaze over the wires and electrical components that had spilled onto the nearby shelf. “It looks like you’re making a bomb!”

“I guess you could call it that.” Stiles shrugged, gesturing for him to come over. “Go and get the bag of marshmallows, will you? Can’t have hot chocolate without the gooey layer on top!”

 

“So, what’s all that meant to do?” Liam asked as he finished his drink. He was sitting next to Stiles as his boyfriend assembled one of the tubes. “Wait, is that part from a shock baton?”

“Yeah, I started carrying one in my trunk after the whole Benefactor-Eichen House thing.” Stiles explained with a shrug. “You never know when your crazy cousin might suddenly show up and want to kill everyone you love in an insane plan to rid the world of the supernatural!”

“Uh, _cousin?!_ ”

_Shit._ Stiles froze, his eyes remaining on the two tubes of carbon steel he had scrounged from his uncle’s toolbox. “Uh, yeah. Didn’t I tell you that?”

“No! I think I’d remember!” Liam cried at him, waving his hands in the air. He blinked when Stiles’ arm shot out and gripped his wrist tightly. Liam followed his boyfriend’s deliberate stare and gulped, his skin inches from the open box of wolfsbane. “Shit, sorry.”

“It’s fine, I’ll close it up while you’re here.”

“Thanks. So, why didn’t you tell me that the Benefactor was…related to you?”

“Who wants to admit something like that?” Stiles shook his head, twisting the outer cylinder until he heard a click from the mechanism attaching together. He closed one eye and squinted down the tube. “Plus, I didn’t want to say anything since the guy is dead and he engineered the deadpool like it was a trophy hunt. So many people died, so many lives disrupted, and all in the pursuit of something he would have never seen anyway, what the hell was the point of it all?” Stiles took a breath and glanced at his boyfriend, meeting his eyes for a moment. “Rage is powerful, Liam, it gives you an edge, sure, but it burns so hot that you scald yourself at the same time. Keep burning it and you end up like Thom…like the Benefactor.”

“I won’t.”

“I know, I’m not gonna let you!” Stiles grinned at him and attached the plunger to the top of the tube. He presented it happily to the werewolf, dropping it into Liam’s hands. “There, the MK I prototype Werewolf Rage Inhibitor!”

“The WRI?” Liam grinned, closing his hand around the metal tube. “It fits great, and has a codename, cool!”

“I afraid that’s all it has right now.” Stiles frowned, momentary pleasure slipping away. “I know your basic chemistry and I’m learning more with the help of Google and some seriously suspect chemical weapons files from the Dark Web, but we need a chemist for the actual inhibiting.”

“Yeah, but, you _made_ this device from nothing at all!” Liam pressed the plunger down experimentally, watching in fascination as a sturdy metal needle pushed through the tapered end of the tube. “I didn’t know you knew how to build stuff like this.”

“Mmh, neither did I until I tried.” Stiles shrugged. “Well, I mean, I did tinker a bit when I was younger; taking my toys apart to see how they worked, how the robots were able to light up, and after I turned them into real transformers. But I mean, most kids are curious like that, right?”

“Err, no, not really.”

“Huh. I’ve had a lot of practice too, fixing up Roscoe; he’s not as spry as he lets on!” Stiles winked as Liam placed the WRI back on the table. “Oh, actually, before we test your ‘fish in the lake of tranquillity’ theory, I do have something else for you that I got working this morning. It’s not as subtle as the WRI is going to be, more like a tranquilizer for werewolves; a way to put you down hard should you lose it completely.” 

“What is it?” Liam craned his neck, trying to see past Stiles’ body as the older teen opened a drawer. “Another syringe?”

“Not quite.” Stiles turned back to him, holding a small, square, black box. He placed it on the table, shaking his head as Liam reached out to touch it. “Wait. Ok, so this is kind of like a wearable device, I’ll try and see if I can minimize the components even more, but I might need to go to a hardware store for certain tools and parts.”

“But what does it do?”

“This part,” Stiles tapped on the top of the box, index finger grazing against a smooth indentation. “This contains a diode with a high electrical charge, taken from the stun baton. It’s one use only and needs to be replaced afterwards, but it’ll deliver a sharp, short shock to your system and snap you out of your rage if all else has failed.”

“Err, what?!” Liam stood up, freaked out. “You want to shock me?”

“Of course I don’t _want_ to.” Stiles replied calmly. “No more than I want to shoot you, but you losing it and threatening someone else, maybe even someone who’s a bad guy? I don’t want to you to have the memory of another person’s blood on your hands again, Liam.”

“Right…so, how is it triggered? Remote?”

“No, I scavenged a heart rate monitor from one of my uncle’s gadgets in the secure room, tested it on myself first to make sure it still worked.” Stiles explained, picking up the device. He gestured for Liam to stand and joined him. “Ok, so, I’m thinking it’ll have either some sort of strap that goes around your torso or maybe a glue to hold it above your heart, or hell, maybe I’ll turn it into a watch if I can get it small enough.”

“Got it.” Liam took the offered box and placed it on his pectoral muscle. “And?”

“The heart rate monitor is linked to the diode, at a certain rate, to be determined, it’ll trigger the shock, thinking that you’ve entered an uncontrollable rage.” Stiles explained, taking it back from Liam. “It’s just the stage one prototype though; there’s a lot of work still to be done.”

“Uh, if you say so…” He watched Stiles put it away, adding hopefully. “Does it have a cool codename too, like the WRI?”

“Hmm, I hadn’t really-”

“C’mon, Stiles! I know you have!”

“Fine.” Stiles looked away from him. “It’s the ECAM: Emergency Cardiac Arrest Mechanism…happy?”

“Extremely!” Liam bounced giddily on his feet. “Aw, man, Stiles, this is like all those British spy films you made me sit through after we watched _Star Wars,_ remember?”

“Err, yeah, I remember you enjoying _James Bond_ though, Liam. You can call me ‘Q’, or, uh, ‘S’!” Stiles shrugged and nodded at the lake. “So, do you want to put that calming skill to the test?”

“Ok, but don’t you need to measure my heart beat for the ECAM, so it’ll know when I’m in rage-mode and when I’m just normal?” Liam asked as he followed Stiles outside.

“I can do that later, right now I want to see if the power of trout can beat the infuriating obtuseness of a nightclub bouncer refusing to believe that you’re twenty-five and from Rhode Island!” Stiles grinned as Liam groaned, reaching down to yank away the towel that was still wrapped around the werewolf’s waist. 

“Hey!” Liam yelped, turning to glare at him, hands on his hips.

“We’ll make it interesting; every time you succeed at controlling your rage, I’ll take off a piece of my own clothing.” Stiles’ smirk got wider as he saw Liam’s cock twitch into life. “Starting with my shoes!”

“Well, that’s the best motivation I’ve heard all week!” Liam nodded vigorously. “Why can’t we just deploy the STERN from now on?!”

“Huh?”

“The Stiles Erotic Rapid Nudity mechanism!”


	96. Discovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A slightly shorter update today, but I want to get the next five or so chapters out a lot quicker. With my main story (Building a Better Chimera) complete, I’ll have a lot more time to devote to this one.

Stiles shivered slightly, waiting for Liam to light the fire as the rain hammered on the roof. They had been soaked in the sudden downpour that crept up on them and the lake was obscured by a heavy fog, Stiles couldn’t even see the shore or the start of the jetty. “Fuck, where the hell did that come from?”

“Dunno.” Liam shrugged, striking the match and holding it against the kindling. He smiled as it caught fire and slowly added more wood to form a tent around the flames. “Ok, that’s done.”

“Good.” Stiles turned towards him and crouched next to the fireplace. “Are you wet too?”

“Just a change of clothes and I’ll be fine, but you might want to shower.”

“Yeah, I’ll be waiting though. There’s a back boiler on this fireplace, it’s the only way to heat the water.”

“Shit,” Liam muttered, standing up. “I’ll grab some towels and that fluffy sweater you love.”

“How do you know about that? You wearing my sweaters, Liam?!” He smiled, arching his brows as Liam flushed suddenly. “Pretty sure nothing I have fits you.”

“Yeah, but it still smells…like you, it’s comforting.” Liam replied softly, walking away from him to hide his embarrassment. When he returned, Stiles had stood up and was warming his backside on the fire, wet clothes in a pile beside him. “Oh, I didn’t know we were field-testing the STERN!”

“Uh, not exactly.” Stiles chuckled and accepted the towel from Liam. “Though it might be a good idea to try and get a range on your heart-beat so the ECAM doesn’t activate the moment you get excited on the lacrosse field or run a mile or see an hot guy.”

“Uh, yeah, that would be nice, especially since I’m spending so much time with you.” Liam smiled sweetly at Stiles and wandered over to the table where the various components of Stiles’ devices were spread out. He picked up the Werewolf Rage Inhibitor and pressed the plunger down, watching the needle spring out. “Do you have any idea on how you’re going to get the wolfsbane mix right?”

“No.” Stiles answered shortly, towelling his hair dry and joining Liam at the table. He plucked the WRI from his boyfriend’s hands and frowned at the device. “I just don’t have the necessary skill to pull something like that off, I mean I could _try_ but if I get the formula even a little wrong it could kill you, Liam.”

“Yeah, ok, let’s not do that!”

“Hmm, there is some good news though.” Stiles sat down and began to disassemble the prototype ECAM as he talked. “I was able to order a bunch of parts online using my uncle’s, err, resources. They’ll be arriving soon.”

“Resources?” Liam frowned and stretched his arms idly, biceps flexing. “Do I even want to know what that means?”

“Probably not, but he won’t be using them, and I couldn’t just order a list of components on Amazon; my card has probably already been flagged by my Dad.” He reached up and grabbed Liam’s wrist. “Can you stop doing that? It’s seriously distracting!”

“Really?” Liam smirked and trailed his hand down towards the front of his shirt, lifting the hem just enough to show off the start of his defined abs. “And this is…”

“Even better, yeah.” Stiles swallowed hard, staring at him for a moment, before wrenching his eyes away. “But I want to get the basic elements ready to be transferred over as soon as I get those parts; it’s risky to have them delivered, however I’m confident that the ECAM will only have to truly be an emergency device you’ll be using. You’ve made a hell of a lot of progress in the past two weeks, pup.”

_Pup?! He hasn’t called me that in forever!_ Liam beamed at Stiles, feeling a lightness wash over him. He wetted his lips, about to lean down and kiss his boyfriend when a thought struck him. “Hang on, you’re having the parts delivered here?”

“Oh, no, they’ll come to Gold Mountain, to that supply store with the stock boy who was really interested in you,” Stiles grinned at him. “Remember him?”

“Yeah, I remember.” Liam grunted. “Do you think we’ll be found out because of it though?”

“Maybe, but that’s why I want this ready to go as soon as possible.” Stiles explained as he finished removing the final component. “If my Dad or your parents or Scott or whoever come looking for us, we need to be prepared and you need to show everyone that you’re in total control, no matter how stressful the situation gets, or what little mechanical aides you need.”

“Yeah, sure.” The werewolf mumbled, already feeling his pulse spiking at the thoughts of confronting everyone back in Beacon Hills. “I’m in control…”

 

“What’s the name?

“Robert Bearheart.” Stiles replied fluidly as Liam stared at him and the stock boy opposite them arched a brow. “You want ID or something?” _Because I don’t have it, and I don’t want to have to ask Liam to distract you…_

“Uh, no, no, of course not.” The other teenager shook his head and reached under the counter to pull out a large cardboard box. “It’s just that we don’t normally keep packages for people who aren’t residents. I thought you two were just camping up by Crystal Lake?”

“Good memory,” Liam smiled at the stock boy. “Yeah, we were, but we kinda fell in love with the place.”

“Don’t you have school?”

“He’s home-schooled.” Stiles answered quickly, smirking at Liam. “I teach him myself!”

“Uh…”

“You know,” Stiles leaned on the counter, closer to the stock boy, eyes running over him suggestively. “I’m sure there’s a thing or two we could teach you too-”

“Stiles!” Liam growled and elbowed him in the stomach as the stock boy flushed and stared at him. The werewolf flailed around for an excuse, blurting out the first thing that came to mind. “Uh, uh, uh, he’s an inventor! All sorts of crazy things come out of him, err, out of his mouth, wacky stuff! But he’s a genius, total genius, Stanford PhD at sixteen, I’m so lucky to have him! Uh, so, um, maybe you can just give us the box and uh, we’ll get out of your way.”

“Err, ok.” The stock boy frowned as though he didn’t believe them. But he gestured at the store room behind him. “There’s another box for you, bigger than this one. I’ll get the hand truck and put it in your car for you, if you want, um, Dr Bearheart.” 

“That’d be great.” Liam grinned at him, folding his arms deliberately so his biceps bulged in his tight, short-sleeved shirt. He waited for the stock boy’s eyes to finish flicking over him, the other teenager swallowing hard before he rushed into the back room. The werewolf turned to Stiles with a glare, “What the hell was that?!”

“I thought he was going to start asking questions, I was trying to distract him!”

“With sex?!”

“What?” Stiles looked taken aback, “What are you talking about? I was going to show him what we’d be doing with the parts. I am Dr Bearheart after all!”

“Yeah, right, I have a nose, Stiles, I could smell what you were really thinking!” Liam growled, trying to ignore the part of him that was _still_ thinking about it. “I know we haven’t…for a while, but you can’t just-”

“Hey, you’re back!” Stiles forced a grin as he cut across Liam. “Uh, my car is just out front, um, we didn’t catch your name?”

“Justin.”

“Oh, great, I’m-”

“Robert Bearheart,” Justin nodded as he picked up the box from the counter and placed it on the hand truck. “You told me that. Do you want anything else while you’re here or is that all I can help you with?”

“Um, more Frosted Flakes…” Liam mumbled, nostrils flaring as he picked up on Justin’s sudden uneasiness. _As soon as we’re outta here, that guy is calling the cops for sure. Maybe he thinks we’re terrorists…_

“It’s a blue Jeep, just in front of the store, it’s unlocked.” Stiles said, placing his hand on Liam’s shoulder as Justin nodded and walked away, the door swinging open as he backed carefully onto the street. “Liam, I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable or-”

“Shut up!” Liam hissed at him, suddenly alert as his eyes flared sliver. “I can smell a werewolf!”

“What?”

“Outside. When the door opened.” The werewolf cocked his head to one side and frowned. “The scent is familiar, almost like…pack, but not quite, I’m not sure.”

“Yeah.” Stiles squeezed his shoulder hard as a shadow appeared in front of the door, the stranger’s identity revealed as he walked into the store. “Fuck, it’s you…” 

“Of all the small stores in all the small towns all across the great state of California, it would be you two I’d find here.” Peter Hale drawled, eyes twinkling. “Hello boys, did you miss me?”


	97. What Fresh Hale

Liam glanced from Stiles to Peter, seeing his boyfriend’s expression tighten, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists. The other werewolf was watching them with a faint smirk as the air between the trio became charged. He swallowed and moved slightly forward so he was blocking Stiles off. “What do you want?”

“I came for a soda, and possibly a Twinkie.”

“What?!” Liam stared at him.

“Haha, I wasn’t looking for _you._ ” Peter explained, clasping his hands and leaning against the door jamb. “Just passing through town, getting as far from Beacon Hills as possible.”

“Really?” Stiles finally spoke up. “And who let you out of your cage? Last I heard, Scott had dumped your ass in Eichen House and thrown away the key. What the hell happened?”

“Well, well, I thought you’d know more than me, but there we go.” The werewolf brushed the question away with one hand. He stood up straight again and walked a little closer, his smile widening as Liam shuffled back into Stiles. “Normally, I’d be all for you two being sensible and running away from the big, bad, flesh-tearing monsters, but I have to say, I’m surprised to find you all the way out here.”

“Yeah, well, this isn’t exactly the best place to have a pleasant chat about werewolves and Alphas and you being a blood-thirsty monster.” Stiles replied quickly, glancing over Liam’s head through the foggy glass at the front of the store. He could see Justin closing the door of his Jeep and begin to make his way back inside. “Why don’t we take this outside where, uh, innocent ears don’t have to hear what wasn’t meant for them?”

“Oh?” Peter Hale frowned slightly at him and then nodded a moment later. “Fine, there’s an overlook across the street. I’m parked there.”

“Go on then.” 

“Hah, as you wish.” The werewolf turned around, pushing open the door for Justin and smirking at the stock boy. “I’ll come back later.”

“We’re open until nine tonight.” Justin replied helpfully, walking past him and returning to Liam and Stiles. “That package has been loaded for you, Dr Bearheart, I’ll just get the manifest for you.”

“Uh, thanks.” Stiles winced as he heard Peter Hale chuckle, ignoring Justin’s words, adding absently, “Do I owe you anything for holding it?”

“No, no, it wasn’t a problem.” He turned to Liam. “I can get your Frosted Flakes for you now.”

“Um, another time.” Liam muttered, hurrying after Peter so he didn’t lose the other werewolf from his sight.

“Thanks again.” Stiles made for the door. He paused in front of it, seeing Liam and Peter facing off across the roadway as traffic rolled by. Stiles sighed and turned back towards the cash register. “You should stay in here, Justin, things could get very ugly in a few minutes, just don’t come outside, ok?” He didn’t wait for a reply, instead opening the door and striding out into the street.

 

Stiles could see Liam still glaring at Peter as he waited for a pickup truck to trundle past and the road to clear. He shot a look at the Jeep and nodded to himself, dropping to a crouch when he was sure the older werewolf was distracted by Liam. It was the work of a moment to circle around his Jeep and open the passenger door. Stiles slipped inside, kneeling in the footwell, he stretched across the gearstick and levers to thrust his hand under the driver’s seat. He grunted as he pulled out the hidden gun, sliding the clip out to make sure it was fully loaded and then pushed it back inside, loading a round into the chamber. Stiles flicked the safety off and carefully put the gun into his waistband of his jeans. The metal was cold on his back and he shivered slightly. _Only if he forces my hand, I don’t know what he wants, but…we need more time. If things have gone hell back in Beacon Hills, they’re going to need us, but only when Liam can control himself effectively._

By the time he was back on his feet, Liam had crossed the road and was following Peter into the overlook at a careful distance. Stiles raised his hand when Liam looked back at him. _I’m coming, pup._

Liam stopped just short of the viewing platform as Peter rested his elbow on the metal binoculars and waited for them to come closer. “You ok?”

“Yeah, just had to get something.” Stiles muttered, walking forwards with him so that they were close enough to speak, though not so close that Peter could attack them easily. He wetted his lips and raised his voice. “So, are you going to tell us how you got out of Eichen House?”

“My, my, Stiles, you have been gone a long time!” Peter grinned and nodded at the views around them. “Been finding yourselves? Getting lost in nature? Fleeing from a certain deadly incident perhaps?”

“How do-”

“And what incident would that be?” Stiles talked over Liam, his hands hanging loosely by his sides. “Lots of things happen in Beacon Hills, including jail breaks, apparently.”

“I broke myself out after the…” Peter shrugged, eyes darting between them. “Hmm, I’m guessing that you two have been gone for a few weeks, right around that time the bodies started to drop.”

“We’ve been out of the loop for a while.” Stiles admitted, seeing Liam go still and his expression harden. _Ok, time to see if all that mediation and scenario training worked._ “Sight-seeing, you know how it is.”

“Sure, and if you were any other teenagers I’d expect the ‘sights’ would involve a lot of looking at ceilings!” His leering smile caused Stiles’ skin to crawl. “But you’re not normal, and while you might have come up here to enjoy yourselves, I think it’s much more likely that you were involved in the death of that first young man. I never caught his name, the orderlies liked to gossip, but sadly, they’re so non-specific.”

“That wasn’t Stiles.” Liam spoke up, his voice quiet, controlled. “It was an accident, but Stiles wasn’t even there.”

“And you were?”

“Don’t answer that, Liam.” Stiles shook his head and looked to the side. “What’s it going to take to make you go away?”

“I could go right now, but how can you be sure I won’t just run back to Beacon Hills and tell Scott and Malia where you two are?” The werewolf smirked. “I’m sure they want to talk to you, to see you, you can’t be here on their advice. They’re much more of a ‘let’s just pull through it together, guys!’” Peter’s voice rose into a girlish flutter for his final words.

“You’re right, they don’t know we’re here.” Stiles answered slowly, casting his eyes down to the asphalt. “No one does.”

“Except me.”

“Except you.” Stiles nodded and raised his head, looking squarely into Peter’s face. “So, I’ll ask you again, what do you want? I can give you all the money I have on me, about four hundred bucks.”

“Hmm, nah, I think getting good with my daughter might be better.” Peter shrugged as Stiles glared at him. “C’mon, I think they’ll forgive you for running away for a few weeks, we all need a break from time to time!”

“Huh, if that was all that it was, perhaps.” He glanced at Liam, “Care to show him your eyes?”

“Uh, if you think it will help?”

“Malia won’t believe him, and Scott won’t trust his word, and just to make sure that it all sounds like bullshit, show him your eyes. Besides,” Stiles nodded at the store behind them, “If Justin hasn’t called the cops already, he soon will, that kid is smart enough to spot trouble coming in hot; a head start would be handy.”

“Running again, Stiles?” Peter sneered at them.

“Oh, I wasn’t talking about us, I meant you.” Stiles smiled and gestured for Liam to do it. The young werewolf went still, his eyes slowly changing from their natural color to an unearthly silver glow. He watched Peter’s reaction carefully, seeing the former Alpha frown at first and then his eyes widen. “I’m guessing you haven’t seen anything like this before?”

“Never.”

“They were blue at first, and then changed a few days later.” Stiles paused as he let the significance of the words sink in, smirking when Peter’s head snapped up suddenly. “Yeah, that incident you mentioned…so, we’re out here, middle of nowhere, things are kinda desperate and it’d be so easy to vanish into that vast forest. I know how much werewolves hate the smell of pine needles, huh Peter?”

“It can cause problems when tracking.” He mumbled, still staring at Liam’s eyes in fascination.

“Hmm, if we had meet you two weeks ago, we’d already be fighting, but Liam’s got things under control now, though. Isn’t that right?”

“Perfectly calm.” Liam replied evenly, his silver eyes fading. He held up his hands, showing Stiles the human nails. “See? No claws, even though I can smell your aggression, Peter, but a calm werewolf is a lot more dangerous than a wild one.”

 

“Now, now, boys, can’t we all just get along?” Peter Hale grinned at them, fangs and glowing blue eyes on display. He waved a clawed hand in the air. “Let’s not let this come to blows, hmm?”

“Provided you don’t say anything to Malia and keep moving north then I don’t see why we can’t work this out. Maybe you should put your claws away and we’ll talk like civilised people.” Stiles replied evenly as Liam looked behind them and swore suddenly. “What?”

“Justin.” The werewolf pointed at the row of parked cars nearby, “I can smell him over there. Come out!” Liam glared at the stock boy as he stood up slowly.

“Uh, I came to give you the package manifest.” Justin muttered, holding the plastic-wrapped papers up in one trembling hand. “For your records!”

“Shit!” Stiles turned to him, “I told you to stay inside!”

“Ah!” Justin leapt behind the car again and Stiles’ attention snapped back to Peter, glaring as the imposing figure moved closer, claws still out. “What is that thing?!”

“Someone who is not making the best choices right now,” Stiles glanced at Liam and gestured for him to go towards Justin. “C’mon, Peter, don’t be a dick about this.” He reached back to his waistband, feeling the cool metal of the grip on his hand. Stiles pulled out the weapon in one smooth motion as though he’d been doing this his whole life and pointed the gun at Peter’s chest. “I’m not afraid of you, and you’re not getting either of them, so back the fuck off!”

“I’m beginning to think maybe you were the one who killed that werewolf, Stiles.” Peter stopped moving and pursed his lips as he looked him up and down. “On the run, no one knows you’re here, and your boyfriend has such interesting eyes, does he have extra power I wonder?”

“Last warning.” 

“Hmm,” The werewolf grunted, appearing to think it over. Peter looked up at him and flashed a smile. “Nope!”

“Fuck!” Liam cried out as he watched Peter dart across the asphalt and dive on Stiles, claws wrapped around his neck hard enough to spice the air with Stiles’ blood. He made to rush to his boyfriend’s side when Peter’s head was forced upwards and the werewolf stood up awkwardly, the gun pressed to the underside of his jaw. “Stiles?”

“I’m here.” He growled. “For now. But Peter is going to let me go in a few seconds unless he wants his brains blown out.”

“Hah! I’ve been set on fire, Stiles!” Peter snarled at him. “Do you really think a few bullets are going to stop me?”

“Sure, ordinary nine milimeter hollow points wouldn’t do much,” Stiles managed, trying to ignore the pain as Peter’s claws dug deeper into his flesh. “But these are werewolf-killin’ bullets; wolfsbane filled and capped tight! How many do you think I’ll squeeze off before you can kill me?”

“Fuck.”


	98. Making a Deal

Liam looked between Stiles’ pained expression and Peter’s grimacing face. He could hear Justin shaking behind him, teeth chattering non-stop in his mouth. The werewolf turned around slowly and gestured towards the store, “Go! Get out of here!”

“Liam!” Peter growled threateningly, “Don’t you-”

“No.” Stiles cut across his sternly, pressing the muzzle of the handgun harder against Hale’s jaw. “Let the boy go.”

“That’s not a good idea, Stiles.”

“Maybe not, but it’s happening.” He nodded in Liam’s direction and managed a small smile when Justin took off at a stumbling run, sprinting towards the row of buildings across the road. Stiles turned back to glare at Peter, trying to ignore the uncomfortable wetness that dripped down his neck from the werewolf’s claws. “Now, I reckon we’ve got maybe ten, twenty minutes before whatever cops or rangers around here show up. You let me go and I’ll back off, ok? No shooting.”

“Fine.” The werewolf growled reluctantly, releasing Stiles and straightening up. Peter backed off and watched them warily as Liam rushed over to help his boyfriend stand up, the gun hanging by his side. “Now what? I’ll admit you caught me by surprise, Stiles. I didn’t think you had it in you to threaten me!”

“Yeah, well, we can all do things we weren’t expecting when we have to.” Stiles tilted his head from side to side, smiling at Liam as he took the edge off the pain with his hand. The teenager looked at the gun in his hand and sighed. “You weren’t expecting to find us, so that tells me that you are running away from Beacon Hills too. I don’t know what’s happening there, and I don’t care, I’m only interested in protecting myself and Liam.”

“So, what? You’re going to shoot me?” Peter arched a brow at him. “Liam might be a killer because of his rage-”

“I never said-”

“You didn’t have to.” The werewolf gestured at Liam with a clawed hand. “His scent is the same, except for the guilt that weighs heavy in it. I know that smell better than anyone.”

“Well, that’s really interesting,” Stiles drawled, making a mental note to ask Liam about his scent later. “But it still doesn’t solve our current predicament.”

“Why don’t you just leave?” Liam said suddenly, glaring at Peter. “We don’t want to fight you and none of us want to have to have the cops involved.”

“The puppy makes a point I suppose.” Peter smirked as Liam glowered at him. His claws vanished, and his eyes stopped glowing. “You are free to leave.”

Stiles frowned at him suspiciously as Peter performed a mock-bow. “Yeah, I’m not buying that you’re just going to let us go so easily.”

“You’re the one with the gun, Stiles.”

“These bullets aren’t for you.” He muttered as Liam flushed and stared at the ground. Stiles flicked the weapon to his left, gesturing for Peter to move. He ignored the way the werewolf’s sharp eyes darted from him to Liam, Peter’s expression changing as he seemed to realize what Stiles had meant. “Show us to your car. C’mon.”

 

“This is it.” Peter gestured at the Land Rover. “Old model, but the owner wasn’t going to be using it.”

“We don’t need to hear about the trail of bodies you’ve left across the state.” Liam muttered darkly.

“Please, boys!” Peter shook his head as though genuinely affronted. “She’s an invalid, stuck in bed.”

“Uh huh.” Stiles grunted. He glanced at Liam. “Shred the tires, the spare too. We don’t want him returning to Beacon Hills too quickly.”

“Stiles!” Peter snarled at him, though he didn’t move when Liam smirked and stooped down, the rush of escaping air filling the tense silence. “What makes you think I won’t just find you and take your precious Jeep for a joyride instead?”

“Oh, two words: Pine cones!”

“Fuck!” Peter swore at him as Stiles grinned. 

“Who would have thought that the beautiful tang of alpine forests would be the greatest defense against Alphas and natural born werewolves?!” Stiles nodded at Liam when his boyfriend finished the task. He weighed up the gun and noticed the way Peter was watching him.

“You want to use it, don’t you? Maybe see what it’ll be like before you do it for real on someone you love.”

“Shut up.” Stiles shook his head and flicked the safety on. “We’re walking away now, but if you do try and come after us, pine cones will be the least of your worries.”

Liam followed Stiles as they backed away from Peter, waiting until they had crossed the street towards the store to turn from him fully and hurry towards the Jeep. “Shouldn’t we check on Justin? Tell him…something?”

“Not with Peter still here.” Stiles shook his head and climbed into the Jeep, starting the engine and grimacing as it spluttered into life. “We’ll come back in a few days once the heat has died down and the cops leave.”

“Speaking of…” Liam frowned as he heard the sirens wailing in the distance. “At least two cars, close together, coming from the direction of Crystal Lake.”

“Ok, let’s roll!” Stiles threw the Jeep into reverse and backed out onto the road, changing gears and accelerating hard, the tires squealing behind them. He caught a glimpse of Justin staring at them in the window of the store, before they managed to blast out of town, leaving the cops and a seriously pissed off werewolf in their rear window. 

 

“What do we do now?” Liam asked Stiles as they sat out on the edge of the jetty, feet trailing across the surface of the water. “Do you think he’ll try and come after us?”

“No, I don’t think so.” Stiles shook his head and sighed. “It’s more likely that he’ll return to Beacon Hills to try and get Malia or Scott to believe him that we’re out here. Peter might not care about the pack, but he cares about Malia, this is the sort of thing that might just get her to give him a chance.”

“Crap.”

“Well, we knew this couldn’t last for ever.” Stiles threw his arm around Liam’s shoulders. “But you’re much better at controlling your abilities now and you never let your rage take over even once when we were in that high pressure situation with Peter. That’s so much progress, pup!”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Ok, so, I think it’ll take at most a week for Peter to get back to Beacon Hills on foot and convince the others to take him seriously.”

“What if he steals a car?” Liam frowned. “Or they listen to him at once because Scott and Mason are desperate to follow up on any lead about us? Or-”

“Easy, Liam,” Stiles hugged him against his body. “I’m not going to let that happen. We’re going to pre-empt him, head back to Beacon Hills first, in a few days’ time. That should be long enough to pack up and get ready to face the music.”

“Oh, yeah, my parents…” Liam groaned and buried his face into Stiles’ chest. “I don’t wanna go home! I’ll be grounded for life!”

“All about the optics, Liam, we need to be seen to be telling our version of events first, so anything Peter says afterwards is just him trying to stir shit up.” Stiles gestured with his free hand. “A few days is enough to come up with viable excuses too; one for our parents, one for everyone at school, and one for Scott.”

“Scott?”

“Yeah,” Stiles took a breath and looked at him carefully. “I want you to decide how that’s going to go: either the truth or a lie, either way, I’ll have your back.”

“That’s a lot of responsibility.” Liam murmured, glancing up at the sky as the sun set and the stars began to sparkle from their velvet darkness. “Maybe we should sleep on it?”

“Yeah, ok.” Stiles pushed himself upright and extended a hand to Liam. “I know that I said Peter isn’t likely to try and come after us, but I could be wrong. Would you be ok if I encircled the cabin and the Jeep with mountain ash?”

“It’s fine,” Liam smiled at him and took Stiles’ hand. “I said I don’t want to leave this place, remember?!”

 

Stiles seemed to have no trouble dropping off to sleep, but Liam tossed and turned repeatedly, trying to get comfortable as the events of the day replayed in his mind’s eye again and again. Liam wasn’t quite sure when he fell asleep, the transition from thoughts to dreams was seamless, even if the content was much different. He was back on the bridge in the darkness of _that_ night, Theo standing opposite him, yellow eyes glowing and hands held up in an offensive position, ready to strike.

Liam scowled, the dream shifting to a confused motion of fighting and stabbing, over and over he clawed at Theo and Theo clawed back at him. The other werewolf was different from the other times Liam had dreamt about this moment; no longer the monster with blood-red eyes and dagger-like claws, but a simple werewolf. Theo looked like a true Omega, moving backwards as Liam gained the upper hand, Theo stumbled on the bridge and fell heavily. Liam didn’t give him a chance to get up, instead diving on him, one knee driving into his back and claws scoring Theo’s throat. Triumphant, he flipped Theo’s body over, the grin draining from his face as lifeless eyes looked back up at him, deep wounds in the werewolf’s throat and face leaking blood. Liam blinked and rolled off him, crawling along the blood-slick planks of the wooden bridge until he could look into the moon-lit water. His reflection looked back at him; werewolf features and dripping blood from the arterial spurt of the mortal wound he had inflicted on Theo. His eyes burned blue in the darkness, swallowing him up, suffocating him, drowning-

“Ah!” Liam sat up suddenly in the bed, his t-shirt soaked in sweat. The bedside light flicked on and Stiles was next to him, rubbing sleep from his eyes and hugging Liam to him.

“Hey, it’s alright, it was just a dream You’re ok now.”

“But Theo isn’t…” Liam muttered, the words below Stiles’ hearing range. He leaned into his boyfriend’s embrace however, looking at his reflection in the badly placed mirror across from the bed, his eyes glowing their unique, silver radiance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had hoped to get more of this story out this week, but Thiam’s Halfbirthday celebration rather took over and pushed everything to one side. More next week though!


	99. Never Falter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I’ve been gone a long time from this story; work commitments and burnout took their toll, but I’m back from vacation now, and I intend to get at least one update to this story out each week, maybe more if the mood takes me. Thanks for sticking with it and I’m blown away by the amount of kudos this story has gotten, I never expected it to be this well-liked!
> 
> This chapter is quite different, in that Stiles and Liam aren’t physically in it at all, instead we’re back in Beacon Hills where things have not been going well…

Scott looked up as Mason entered and Lydia followed him inside, shutting the door with a thud, slamming the deadbolt home. The table in front of him was strewn with printed photos and folders and screwed up balls of discarded paper. The murder board behind him was no better; a tangle of red and green threads connected haphazardly from one side to the other. Scott sighed as he took in their flushed cheeks and rapid breathing. “More of them?”

“Chimeras are everywhere.” Mason nodded, pointing at the locked door behind them. “Encountered three at the school, didn’t recognise them, and then a fourth chased us as far as Waterman and Industrial. We lost him in the pipe factory warehouse and storage yard though, so I don’t think he followed us.”

“What about him? Do you know that one?”

“Lucas, yeah, I’ve seen him around before.” Mason grimaced. “His boyfriend, Corey…”

“Hasn’t been found yet.” Scott shook his head apologetically. “I’m not sure if it’s the right thing to hope that he’s been made into a chimera or not.”

“Looks like things haven’t been going too well here, either.” Lydia muttered, stepping around the table to look at the evidence that they had collected on Stiles and Liam’s disappearance. “This is the still from the last video they sent?”

“That’s right,” Scott stood beside her and reached out to touch the photograph of Stiles mid-sentence. It had been magnified and areas of the image highlighted. “I asked my Dad to look at the videos, but even the techs at Quantico couldn’t find anything; all the metadata was wiped, he said. Plus, there were no identifying features in any of the images. We have to face facts: they just don’t want to be found.”

“I don’t really care what they want.” Mason grunted, arms folded as he stared at the images. “They left us high and dry to face monsters that-”

“It’s alright, Mason, I know.” Scott responded quickly, reaching over to pat the teenager’s shoulder. “We’ll find them, and once we do, you can get first crack at them, huh?!”

“Mmh, that’s assuming Liam’s parents ever let him out of the house,” Mason managed a small smile and nodded determinedly. “Well, whatever happened to them, we should probably focus on containing the chimeras, right?”

“Parrish has been able to get to all the bodies before the cops find them. He’s still not sure why he’s taking them out to the Nemeton, but at least he’s now fully aware.” Lydia said as they gathered around the table in the center of Scott’s kitchen. 

“Huh, I can imagine waking up naked and covered in soot isn’t exactly comforting.” Scott shared her gaze and shrugged. “It’s good that he’s on our side, I’d hate to have to put more stress on the Sheriff.”

“We’ve been lucky so far, but these…Dread Doctors don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.”

“You finished the book, then?” Mason spoke up.

“Yeah, nothing from them, just unpleasant memories of my childhood.” Lydia shuddered and tapped on a crime scene picture taken in the forest. “I know I’ve said this before, but I’m telling you that solving what happened on this bridge is the key to both of these mysteries.”

“We could just-”

“No, Mason, I won’t do that.” Scott shook his head quickly. “Stiles, Liam, and I were near there on the night they disappeared, I’m not sure if I want the best case scenario to be that they ended up like Theo.”

“Or what? That they were responsible?” Mason frowned, “That doesn’t make sense, Scott, you said yourself that Stiles had something big to tell you that following morning. No way they could’ve done…that.” He gestured at the photograph of blood-splattered wood. “We don’t have a lot of options, you need to consider it.”

“We’re still not doing it.” Scott replied resolutely, seeing Lydia nod slowly next to him. The Alpha changed the subject before the circular argument could resume. “Are you staying here again, Mason? Kira and Malia are on parent duty tonight, so everyone should be able to sleep a little easier.”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind, Scott, Brett offered, but I just feel safer with the True Alpha sleeping above me!”

“Lydia?”

“No, I’m going to go home, I still have a dog to feed.” She forced a smile as Scott opened his mouth to protest. “I’ll be fine, they haven’t attacked our homes yet; we’ve been lucky.”

“So, you keep saying,” Mason said gloomily as he stared at the murder board. “Do you ever wonder what will happen when that luck runs out?”

“No, Mason, I don’t.” Lydia replied with false cheeriness and turned away, gesturing for Scott to walk with her to the car parked out front. She lowered her voice once they were outside. “I’m worried about him, just like I’m worried about you.”

“I’m sorry,” Scott shrugged, looking carefully left and right along the street. “Liam just vanishing and then sending the videos to his parents, but not to Mason himself…it’s hit him hard. But we’ll find Stiles, we’ll find both of them, eventually.”

“There’s an easy way to do that, Scott.” Lydia whispered as she embraced him. “You just have to be willing to accept what he says might be the truth.”

“And if it is?” Scott winced as she stepped back and opened the door of her car. “How am I meant to live with that?”

“You’ll find a way, you have to.” Lydia started the engine and lowered the driver side window. “We’re losing, badly, we don’t know enough about our enemy, but I think he does.”

“Fine, I’ll go tomorrow.” Scott sighed as Lydia pulled away. “Maybe he can solve more than one mystery.”

 

The sharp scent of disinfectant stung Scott’s nostrils as he pushed through the doors of the Intensive Care Unit. The flowers in his hands kept them busy and stopped the claws from emerging as nervousness swept through the Alpha. He really didn’t want to be here, but Lydia was right, this was a journey he had to make, one he should have made sooner. Scott glanced at the nurses’ station, pulse spiking when he saw his Mom sitting behind a monitor. “Hey.”

“Scott? Shouldn’t you be in school?” She looked up, surprise on her face.

“I have a free period.” Scott replied quietly. “I’m here to see, um, Theo. I’m here to see Theo Raeken.”

“Room six, down the hallway,” Melissa gestured in the direction. “He’s making a slow recovery, a bizarre recovery, considering what you told me about him, but the doctors think he can be moved into a regular room in the next few days.”

“Can he talk?”

“I don’t know. He hasn’t spoken since they brought him in a few nights ago, hasn’t even tried to write anything when we asked him questions. Theo’s lungs collapsed yesterday, Scott, he’s not breathing on his own, so I’m not sure you’ll get anything from him.” 

“Collapsed?” Scott frowned. “But he’s…”

“I know, I can't even begin to explain it, but it’s like his organs are shutting down and restarting one by one, the day before it looked as though he was heading for major renal failure and this morning, the scans are clear. Dr Geyer has been able to keep things from looking too suspicious though.” She stood up and came out from behind the nurse’s station, her voice low as they walked slowly down the corridor. “The Sheriff said that he was _dead_ on that bridge, that he was _dead_ in the morgue, but then he…got up? Walked out?”

“Staggered probably, you said he was found covered in blood and nearly dead on Route 45.” Scott whispered back, going deliberately slow. “He must have been still alive, there are no such thing as zombies. Don’t you remember when we tried to trap the Benefactor and we slowed my heart right down? Perhaps it’s something like that; odd for a werewolf, but maybe he’s not a werewolf after all.”

“I don’t even know in this town anymore.” Melissa sighed and pushed Scott gently towards the door of the sixth room. “Go on, I don’t think he’s in any fit state to hurt you.”

“It’s not his claws I’m worried about, just what he has to say.” Scott muttered and reluctantly pushed open the door to the hospital room. Sunlight was streaming through the double windows that faced the Preserve and bathed the room in a warm glow, brightening up what would be an otherwise grim landscape of beeping machines, blinking lights, and the uncomfortable hiss of the ventilator’s compressor going up and down in a regular motion. 

Scott walked inside as his Mom closed the door behind him, leaving the Alpha with Theo’s prone form in the bed near the far window. The room was bare, no cards or flowers or touches of comfort, not that Scott had really expected any; Theo’s parents never even came to the morgue to claim his body. The Sheriff had said that they closed the door in his face when he went to make the notification, but someone was paying out the cash to cover his medical expenses. Scott looked around for a jug and filled it with water. He unwrapped the flowers and placed them inside, prolonging the inevitable moment when he’d have to look at Theo. 

But he could only delay for so long, no matter how much he tried to rearrange the lilies into a nice pattern. “Fuck,” Scott muttered and finally sat down next to the bed. Theo was asleep, or unconscious, Scott couldn’t tell, the machine’s regular mechanical breathing was throwing his senses off. He cast his eyes over the young man’s relaxed face, the lower half covered in surgical tape, concealing the tube that was running down his throat and into his lungs. “Why haven’t you healed, Theo?” Scott sighed, reaching over to pull the edge of his hospital gown away from his neck and collarbones, grimacing as he saw the extensive bandages and gauze pads that marred Theo’s tanned skin. The werewolf wrinkled his nose as the scent of the grave wounds reached him; a mix of old, dry blood and sterile antiseptic gel making Scott gag. “Gah!”

He jumped when he felt fingers touching his arm, looking down to see Theo’s left hand moving feebly. Scott’s eyes darted upwards and found the other werewolf looking at him with yellow orbs that dimmed to his natural color a moment later. “Shit! Wait, just, wait, I’ll go get my Mom!”

 

Scott wrung his hands nervously as he waited outside the room, hearing the indistinct sounds of the doctors and nurses speaking. He tried not to listen in, giving Theo his privacy, looking up only when the door opened, and they filed out, leaving Melissa inside with the werewolf. Scott entered quickly, closing the door and walking around to the end of Theo’s bed. The teenager was sitting upright, ventilator tube removed, and brows furrowed in obvious pain. Scott could hear the rapid pounding of his heart, even if he wasn’t able to see the numbers spiking on the screen next to his bed, his fists clenched, body taut and charged. “Hey…Theo.”

“Sc-gah,” He accepted the glass of water that Melissa offered him, taking a sip and pushing it away when she held it out to him. “Thanks. Uh, Scott…didn’t think I’d see you again.”

“Or anyone, right?” Scott tried to smile but Theo arched a brow and his Mom glared at him. “Sorry. Um, I know you just woke up and you’re in pain, but I need your help. I need answers.”

“I’m sure.” Theo rested back into the pillows piled up behind him as the bed was lowered into a more comfortable position. He gave Melissa a small smile, “Thank you.”

“I’ll be at the nurses’ station, press this button if you need anything.” She passed a remote into his hand and looked at Scott. “I can give you five minutes, but he needs to rest, werewolf or not.”

“I got it.” Scott waited for her to leave and then turned back to Theo, eyes resting on the werewolf’s dressings, unable to look up at his face. “So…”

“Ask your questions, Scott.” Theo grunted, shifting around uncomfortably. “Although, I can probably guess the first one; why am I in this bed and not fully healed, right?”

“Something like that.”

“It goes to the heart of it, you know,” Theo waited until Scott looked up and met his gaze. He nodded in the direction of the windows. “Has the killing started? Have they been…unleashed?”

“The chimeras, you mean?” Scott moistened his lips as Theo sighed. “I don’t understand what’s happening, they just attack people and places, there doesn’t seem to be any sense to it.”

“I don’t know about that; they’re pure chimeras. I think they were designed for a different purpose.”

“And you? Are you a chimera, Theo?” Scott waited for his response, hands gripping the railing at the end of the bed hard enough to make his knuckles visibly whiten. 

“Of a kind.” Theo finally admitted, shrugging. “I’m not a true chimera, more of a hybrid, but it’s why I’m still alive after he…after the bridge. There’s a…failsafe, I guess you could call it that, it’s a part of me, that ensures that I will survive an otherwise fatal attack.”

“But the cops found-”

“As you’ve seen by now, chimeras are made of multiple creatures and have several different and varying abilities,” Theo talked over him, face tight with pain, forcing the words out. “Well, they didn’t have any particular animal or supernatural to pair me with, but they did have a piece of an ancient creature that they tried to use many times before. It was too powerful for an ordinary chimera, so they started using pieces of it instead, and it gave me the ability to survive. I’m guessing that because it’s been more than two weeks since my ‘death’, it only kept me alive, I still had to heal the old fashioned way. And even that isn’t working right, the Doctors keep screwing up, heh.”

“Ok,” Scott’s head spun with the implications of Theo’s story. “But who attacked you? Was it another chimera? I saw the crime scene photos, I can see the way the gauze wraps around your neck and chest, Theo, something with claws tried to kill you.”

“Claws…yes, claws.” Theo nodded, his thumb hovering over the call button. He glanced at Scott, nostrils flaring. “You’re right, it was a chimera.”

“Um, if you say so.” The Alpha frowned, hearing an unusual timbre in Theo’s voice. Scott bit his bottom lip and moved closer towards him, hands reached out in peace. “You’re in a lot of pain, let me take some of that for you.”

“I’m fine, and it’s too much for you to take.” Theo replied defensively, trying to turn away from him.

“No, I need you to answer that question again without your feelings affecting your speech.” Scott sat on the edge of the bed and gently moved his hand forward until he touched Theo’s forearm. “It’s ok, I won’t hurt you.” His fingers wrapped around the chimera’s wrist, feeling the smooth skin and rushing blood close to the surface. Scott looked at Theo’s face, they were now much closer than before, and he let the transference happen, a natural as breathing or opening his eyes; the pain flowed out of Theo and into Scott. “Ah!”

“Told you it was too much.” Theo groaned and rolled his head back as cool emptiness filled his chest and neck, the fires of intense pain having been drained away into black rivers shooting up Scott’s arm. Scott released him and stood up suddenly, staggering away from the bed. “But thanks, you didn’t have to do that.”

“You going to tell me the truth now? About who attacked you?” 

“It was a chimera.” Theo replied evenly, looking the Alpha directly in the eyes. “I didn’t see their face or anything like that, it could have been any of them. They came at me over the bridge; wild, mad, sliced me up and left me for dead. But something like that, it’s probably dead too, you’re not going to find it, Scott.”

“Right.” Scott frowned at him, certain that Theo was lying to him, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the truth after all. “You probably haven’t heard, but Stiles and my Beta, Liam, have been missing since that night; the same one you were, uh, killed.”

“The chimera that attacked me wouldn’t have had-”

“We know,” Scott broke in quickly, seeing Theo’s eyes growing heavy as the strain of staying awake started to sink in now that the sharpness of agony was no longer keeping him alert. “We got videos, well, Liam’s parents and the Sheriff did, but, um, before he vanished, Stiles said that you had information about what was going to happen, uh, intelligence was what he actually said. Do you know what he was talking about?”

“The Dread Doctors…” Theo muttered, blinking his eyes rapidly as he felt himself sink into darkness. “They have…my parents are… the Beast…”

“Theo? Theo, wake up!” Scott went back over to him, grunting in annoyance as the chimera didn’t respond. He stood still for a moment, listening intently to Theo’s slow heartbeat and sighed. “Ok, you’re no longer in danger of dying at least, and you definitely know stuff, just have to get you out of here, somewhere safe and then-” He was cut off by the sound of his phone vibrating against his thigh. Scott pulled it out and answered. “Mason?”

“I know you’re at the hospital, but something huge just happened!” The teenager’s voice was excited, and he uncharacteristically stumbled over his words. “You gotta, I mean, Scott, you need to get here! T-to Lydia’s, now!”

“Ok, calm down, I’m on my way,” Scott glanced at Theo’s sleeping form one final time and then exited the room, walking quickly towards the nurses’ station. He gestured at the room and his Mom nodded.

“I’ll keep an eye on him.”

“Thank you,” Scott smiled gratefully and turned his attention back to Mason. “What’s the big deal?”

“Malia, Lydia, and Kira caught him trying to break into Deaton’s!”

“Him? Him who, Mason?”

“Peter!” 

Scott stopped in the middle of the hallway and frowned. “How did he get out of Eichen House?”

“We can ask him later, he says he knows where Liam and Stiles are!”

“I’m on my way, keep him there.” Scott replied firmly and felt his pulse speed up. “A break-through at last!”


	100. A New Approach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains explicit sexual content in the form of the practice of “facesitting” as requested by a reader. Please see the tags for more information and always practice safe sex!

“Um, Liam?” Stiles called out, gently knocking on the bathroom door. “Are you alright in there?”

“Uh, yeah, uh huh.” Liam replied uncertainly. “Um, just, I’ll be, I’m fine.”

“Ok, ok, it’s, err, you’ve just been in there for over forty minutes.” Stiles wetted his lips as he tried to think of something else to say. “You know, there’s a big wide forest outside if you want some time to yourself?”

“I know. I just…it’s a, uh, a personal issue.” Liam cleared his throat and there was a sudden flush of the toilet. “I’ll be done in fifteen, ugh, uh, fifteen minutes.”

Stiles grimaced as he heard sounds of straining and he blushed, backing away from the door. “Uh huh, ok, um, well, I’ll be sitting on the jetty, ok?”

“Can you stay inside, please?”

“Sure.” The teenager frowned but then shrugged. “If that’s what you want.” _What is he doing in there? Werewolves heal through everything, so, I don’t think it’s anything like that. And if he just wanted to jerk off, well, he could do that with me, or if he didn’t want to, it still wouldn’t take so long. Unless it’s something else…_ “Hey Liam?”

“What?” The werewolf groaned as though he was in pain. “What is it, Stiles?”

“Look, if this about going back to Beacon Hills-”

“No, I told you, it’s a personal…thing, just give me ten minutes, ok?”

“Ok, ok, I’ll be waiting.” Stiles retreated from the door as another flushing sound came from within. He wandered back to the couch and sat in the middle, the leather was warmed from the afternoon sun breaking through the clouds. After a few minutes of sitting in quiet contemplation, Stiles looked up as he heard the bathroom door unlock and Liam emerged into the cabin’s main room. “You ok?”

“Yeah, I just had to make sure,” Liam replied, his eyes not meeting Stiles’ when he stood in front of the unlit fireplace. “But um, it’s about something I wanted to ask if we could try…err, if we were gonna…because when we get back to Beacon Hills, I don’t think my parents are going to be ok with us hanging out, never mind…the other stuff.”

“Other stuff?” Stiles arched a brow. “Oh, you mean sex?”

“Yeah.”

“So, you’re saying that we should, uh, get that out of our system before we go back?” Stiles grinned at him as Liam flushed. “I mean, I’m ok with just doing it until we leave tomorrow evening!”

“Great, good.” Liam muttered, still not meeting his gaze. “Just, uh, I was wondering if we could try something I saw online?”

“Depends on how crazy it is.” Stiles shrugged, sitting up more attentively. “I don’t want to do anything that involves BDSM or that sort of roleplay, is that what you wanted to do?”

“No, no, nothing like that.” The werewolf looked at him suspiciously and then chewed his lower lip nervously. He took a breath and the rushed his next sentence, closing his eyes so he wouldn’t have to see Stiles’ expression. “I wanttositonyourface!”

“Uh…” 

Liam squinted at him and Stiles just looked confused. “I want-”

“I heard you.” His boyfriend shrugged and then suddenly smiled. “So, _that’s_ why you were in the bathroom for so long! Getting ready, huh?”

“Err, yeah, I’m fully prepared,” Liam gestured vaguely over his shoulder. “There was a lot of different stuff in the survival stash, I guess you can use enemas for a few things, right?”

“Yeah, it has some medical uses,” Stiles answered and pressed his lips together. “I haven’t done this before, Liam, so you’re going to have to take the lead, ok? You’ll tell me what to do and what you want from it?”

“Of course!” Liam grinned at him and bounded across the room, hugging Stiles hard. “Thanks for doing this!”

“Haha, I’m kinda excited too, pup!” Stiles smiled back, and they kissed for a moment, the contact broken as Liam stepped back to pull off his t-shirt. “Hmm, I guess getting naked would be the first step, huh?!”

 

Stiles lay down on the couch, his head supported by a nearby cushion, cock not quite fully hard as a nervous twist of tension lingered in his stomach. Liam was looking at him in concern. "What?"

"If you don't want to do it..."

"No, it's not that, it's just, well, like I said, I've never done anything like this before." Stiles shrugged and gestured for him to approach. "I mean, I know what you want to do, and I've seen rimming vids before, but not _specifically_ facesitting. I don't want you to have a bad experience."

"It can't be bad, I'm with you, that's all that matters." Liam smiled at him and slipped his hand in-between Stiles' fingers. He shrugged and gestured at his cock. "Besides, if it really sucks and does nothing for either of us, we can just do it the normal way."

"True enough," Stiles nodded and rested back against the cushion. He watched as Liam frowned, the werewolf turning around, so he was facing away from Stiles and he climbed onto the couch. Initially, Liam was straddling his middle, but he began moving backwards and Stiles licked his lips, feeling salvia gather on his tongue as Liam's smooth, muscular ass came closer to his face. "Keep going."

"Ok, don't want to lose my balance."

"You're a werewolf, pretty sure you can't!" Stiles smirked as Liam giggled and he went from kneeling across Stiles to being more upright, his back straight, knees either side of Stiles' torso, near his armpits. Stiles reached up to steady him nonetheless and guided Liam's ass back onto his face. “Almost there!”

"Ah!" Liam jerked forward as soon as he felt Stiles' lips brush the surface of his butt cheeks. "Oh!" The tender press of a moist tongue along his crack caused another jolt of pleasure along Liam's spine. "UH!" He cried out as Stiles pulled apart his cheeks and Liam slipped lower, his hole landing squarely on Stiles' mouth. "Ah! Oh! Ah, Stiles! It's already so intense!"

Stiles didn't reply, his lips mouthing at Liam's entrance and he cautiously stuck out his tongue, pressing it into the ring of clenching muscle. 

"ARGGHHH!" 

_Guess that works!_ Stiles felt his own cock get hard as Liam continued to moan and groan loudly, the werewolf moving up and down as Stiles started to lick and slurp at Liam's hole.

"Ahh, yeah, oh, Stiles, right there!" Liam arched his back and bounced up and down on Stiles' face as his tongue lashed the inside of his hole repeatedly. But it still wasn't enough like the videos he had seen, and Liam reached back towards his boyfriend's head urging him to go deeper, to raise his face up and bury it in-between the two smooth mounds. "Awww, yeah!" Liam groaned when Stiles followed his lead. He looked over his shoulder, moaning when he saw the bridge of Stiles' nose rubbing against his crack, the sight hot enough for Liam to start jerking himself off. "Oh man, that's so perfect!" The werewolf helped Stiles keep his head up, the teenager rocking back and forth, using his tongue like a cock while Liam bounced up and down, the motions and sensations taking him to another level of pleasure entirely. "Ahhh!"

Stiles could feel Liam's butt cheeks clenching and flexing as his energy lessened and he pulled his face back, his boyfriend's hand releasing him. He took a quick breath before Liam fully sat on his face, wriggling his ass around as Stiles held out his tongue and stayed still. Liam was still moaning and breathing hard, and though his field of view was limited, Stiles could see straight up Liam's muscular back, watching as the werewolf threw his arms over his head and tensed his whole body, biceps bulging in a manner that made Stiles redouble his efforts. 

The wet sound of his lips and tongue and mouth sucking and slurping were audible to Liam now, somehow making the whole experience a lot hotter than he had expected. He took his hand off his cock and braced himself on the back of the couch, continuing to move in the opposite direction to Stiles' own motions, the contrast proving exceptionally hot and erotic. "Ahh, oh, yeah, oh!"

 

Stiles blinked as Liam suddenly got off him, a wave of cool air rushing across his flushed cheeks and tingling lips. He looked up as Liam turned around above him. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No!" Liam grinned and sat back down, this time facing Stiles, his heavy balls resting on his boyfriend's forehead, hard dick extending outwards. "Keep going, I just want a better angle to watch from!"

"Mmmph!" Stiles managed with a grunt, his mouth engaged once again as Liam shuffled into position.

"Mmmmh!" Liam groaned, leaning back fully, his arms stretched out to balance himself near Stiles' knees. His legs were spread as wide as he could against the confines of the couch, feet planted on the leather cushions beyond Stiles, allowing the werewolf to really rock his ass back and forth while Stiles ate him out. "Uh! Aw! Yeah! Uh!" Liam moaned, arching his head backwards as he let the sensations race through him, eyes closed to focus his attention on face-fucking Stiles with his ass. His hole had turned into an endlessly looping circuit of pleasure and delight and eroticism, causing his cock to stand up straight. _Uh, man, I could cum without having to touch myself!_

They continued at this pace for another few minutes, Liam managing to hold off just barely. He frowned when he heard Stiles' heart beating a little too fast and raised his ass off his face. "Are you ok?"

"Uh huh!" Stiles called out, tilting his head up and flicking his tongue against Liam's dripping hole. "Give it to me!"

"You want it?"

"Uh!"

"You really want it?!" Liam grinned and crashed his asshole back onto Stiles' mouth, rubbing his butt back and forth across his boyfriend's face. Stiles used one hand to grip Liam's hip and urge him to ride his face faster, the other reaching up to start pumping Liam's cock. "Mmh, yeah, Stiles!"

His body was undulating up and down, all his effort placed into ensuring the contact at that point of pleasure, Liam's head rolled back as delighted groans and needy pants spilled from his mouth. Without warning, Liam felt his balls tighten and his cock begin to spasm, jets of cum firing from his cock to splatter across Liam's chest and stomach. “Ahhh! Oh my god!” The werewolf pumped his cock repeatedly as he continued to bounce on Stiles’ tongue and rub his ass across his boyfriend’s face, the wave of pleasure lasting longer than any orgasm he had experienced before, cumming harder than he ever had. “Fuck yeah, Stiles! Eat that ass!”

 

A moment later, he rolled off Stiles and collapsed on his knees next to the couch. "Awesome!" Stiles looked flushed and sweaty, but the scent of his boyfriend’s arousal was heavy on the air and Liam got back on his knees, moving quickly to bend over Stiles’ naval and suck his cock into his mouth. “Mmph!”

“Oh!” Stiles jerked, not expecting the action. “Fuck, Liam! You don’t have to do that, I could have just jerked off!”

“I want to,” Liam grinned, pulling off for a moment. He opened his mouth wide and buried Stiles’ cock deep inside, feeling the head brushing against the back of his throat. Stiles gasped, and Liam hollowed out his cheeks when his boyfriend’s hand ran through his hair, guiding him up and down in long, even strokes. “Mmmh!”

“Ah, Liam! That’s so good!” Stiles groaned, arching his hips as Liam continued to suck him off, speeding up slightly. Liam’s lips were sealed around his cock, sliding up and down the shaft from the sensitive tip all the way down to Stiles’ smooth naval. “Oh, dude, I’m not gonna last!”

_Kinda the plan, Stiles!_ Liam thought to himself as he wrapped his hand around Stiles’ dick and started jerking him off. He raised his head a little, concentrating his licking and slurping over the flared cock head, tasting the free-flowing precum that Stiles was leaking at a rapid rate. Liam knew he was close enough and pulled off him completely, jerking Stiles instead. “Ready?”

“So ready!”

“Good!” Liam grinned and studied Stiles’ face as his lips parted and eyes closed, his boyfriend riding a wave of intense pleasure. His hand stopped suddenly, and Stiles arched upwards, his slick cock sliding along Liam’s palm and then erupting in a shower of cum. “Fuck, yeah!” 

“Aw, ah!” 

“Oh my god, you’re cumming everywhere!” Liam cried out in excitement as Stiles’ cum dripped down his hand, puddles of the cream lying on his chest and abs, flecks glistening along his collarbone and a smear across his chin. “Dude, that’s so hot!” 

 

Liam remained sitting on the floor next to the couch, breathing hard as Stiles panted above him, both of them getting their breath back. He looked over his shoulder at his boyfriend’s still cum-splattered chest and felt his cock getting hard again. He licked his lips and was about to suggest that they make good on that suggestion of having non-stop sex until they had to leave, but then his ears twitched. The werewolf tilted his head and frowned. “Stiles, I hear something.”

“Oh?”

“Tires on gravel, from down the trail, um, sounds like a heavy vehicle.” Liam concentrated, closing his eyes. “It’s a truck, maybe some sort of SUV, I don’t recognize the engine.”

“Oh, it’s probably just one of the rangers, or a logger’s truck or something.” Stiles sat up and reached down to grab his boxers, using them to clean himself off. He glanced at Liam, seeing his boyfriend tense up. “That’s all it is, right?”

“No…I can hear…” Liam chewed his lip, eyes opening suddenly. “It’s a bike, sounds like Scott’s bike.”

“Sounds like or _is?_ ” 

“It is.” Liam stood up quickly and looked at Stiles. “I thought they wouldn’t believe Peter Hale?!”

“Maybe, maybe you’re wrong?” Stiles said hopefully as Liam just tilted his head critically in his direction. “Fine, let’s get dressed, Hale didn’t know exactly where we are, so unless you hear another SUV out there, we should be fine, right?”

“Um…yeah, there’s a second engine out there; a lot more powerful.” Liam stared mournfully at the floor. “I know that one too; it’s your Dad’s police cruiser.”

“Great.” Stiles pulled his t-shirt on hurriedly and gestured for his boyfriend to get up. “Better we go greet them on the road. Hey, maybe we can make a run for it through the woods?!”

“Not likely.” Liam finished slipping his feet into his sneakers and followed Stiles outside into the warm afternoon air. “They’ve stopped, engines turned off, uh, I can hear the doors opening.”

“Yeah, me too.” Stiles reached down and clasped Liam’s hand. “We go together, ok? No matter what happens, I have your back.”

 

Stiles walked up towards the gravel roadway first, Liam lingering behind him. He didn’t need werewolf senses to know his boyfriend was afraid of what was going to happen when they went home. As much as Liam had better control now, they still had to address the fact that Theo was dead, and Stiles still didn’t know how they were meant to deal with that as a pack. His thoughts were interrupted when he caught sight of a large, navy blue Tundra parked sideways, the dark colors of the livery of the Beacon County Sheriff’s Department on the other SUV blocking the road. “Damn, they really must think we’ll be making a run for it!”

“Yeah,” Liam muttered. “But I can smell someone else there, it’s-”

“Theo.” Stiles stopped suddenly, his blood pounding in his ears as he caught sight of the werewolf who was meant to be dead. “How-”

“Oh, crap.” Liam swallowed awkwardly as he slowed beside Stiles, seeing Theo turn towards them, Mason on one side, Scott on his other, and the Sheriff a little way off, satellite phone in his hand. “Uh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t believe that this story has reached a hundred chapters! I want to thank everyone who has read, commented, and left kudos. There’s probably not another hundred chapters in it, but there’s a still a lot more content to come!


	101. Busted

“Um, hi, guys…” Liam murmured as Stiles looked first at him and then at Theo, curiosity filling his scent. The werewolf took a deep breath in an attempt to even his hammering heartbeat and he glanced towards Scott, eyes skipping over Theo in a futile attempt to believe that the recently dead werewolf wasn’t there. He could feel them all staring at him now, even Mason and the Sheriff. “Um, Stiles?”

“Dad! And Scott! Mason, hey.” Stiles licked his lips nervously and then nodded at Theo. “And, uh, Theo, right?”

“Yeah,” The werewolf was watching them with clever eyes, a slight tilt to his head, but Liam couldn’t get a read on his emotions at all. “We did only meet a few times before you guys, uh, left.”

“Disappeared, that’s the word you’re looking for.” The Sheriff glared at them sternly. “‘Hey’ is the best you can come up with? Stiles, do you even know how much stress and worry I’ve gone through in the last three weeks?! Not to mention the extra manhours that have been spent trying to find you? Or trying to reassure Liam’s parents that he wasn’t just going to become another mysterious casualty of growing up in Beacon Hills?”

“We sent you videos-”

“Videos doesn’t cut it!” The Sheriff shouted back, before he drew a deep breath and tried to calm down, eyes narrowing as Liam inched towards Stiles, his hands balled into fists. “Ok, ok, I’m gonna assume that now we’re actually here, you’re going to tell us what the hell possessed you two to run away in the middle of the night and tell _no one_ about it?”

“Yeah, you didn’t even tell me, Stiles.” Scott frowned at him, hurt in his voice. “I had to learn from your Dad that you were alright. What the hell, dude?”

“Uh, guys, c’mon,” Stiles chewed his lower lip, nervousness and tension tearing up his scent. “It was-”

“My fault.” Liam stepped forward, trying to ignore the way both Scott and Theo’s nostrils flared as they analysed his scent. “I mean, it was my idea. I wanted to get away because…” He looked at Theo, expecting the werewolf to finish his sentence, but Theo just folded his arms and leant back against the truck. 

“Yes?” Mason gestured at him to continue. “Dude, you must have disappeared for a reason! Tell me you’re not trying to make up an excuse right now? Fuck, that makes it sound like you two ran off to just…uh, look at nature and stuff.” The teenager changed what he was saying as he caught sight of the Sheriff’s increasingly reddening face. “Yup, bird-watching is big here, I bet…”

“It doesn’t matter now.” _I hope._ Liam muttered, his eyes skipping over Theo in order to look at Scott. “We were gonna return to Beacon Hills tomorrow anyway, we, uh, completed what had to happen here.”

“Uh huh.” Scott grunted and looked meaningfully at Theo, his lips parting as Liam’s pulse quickened before he could stop it. The Alpha shook his head minutely and disappointment flooded the space between Liam and Scott.

“Why don’t we take this inside, boys?” The Sheriff nodded right at the concealed roof of the cabin that blended in well with the forest. “That’s my brother’s cabin. I still remember when he said he bought it, I thought he was mad at the time, he was a real city slicker.” He smiled at the memory, before the expression vanished and he looked at Stiles. “Do I have to invite myself in?”

“Uh, it’s really messy, I don’t,” Stiles swallowed uncomfortably, his mind flicking back to what he and Liam had just been doing. He hadn’t even had time to wash his hands… “I don’t think that’s a good idea, we can sit outside?”

“Stiles, we’ve been on the road for nearly six hours and the only stop we made didn’t have a restroom available, I’m going inside.” The Sheriff replied firmly and just started walking towards the cabin. “Besides, I’ve been in your room, it can’t possibly be worse than those times you’re setting up a murder board; there’s paper and string and energy drinks all over the place!”

“Err, wait, no!” Stiles ran after him and Liam turned away from Mason and Scott quickly, following his boyfriend, trying to ignore Theo’s presence shadowing them.

 

“Aren’t you coming inside?” Scott paused at the door as Stiles fruitlessly continued to try and persuade his father to stay near the jetty, but the Alpha was addressing Liam. “We have a lot to talk about.”

“Uh, uh huh.” Liam looked down at the ground and scuffed his shoe against the short grass. “Um, no, I was gonna stay outside, it’s, err, such a nice day and the air is really clear.”

“Yeah, it is.” Scott replied shortly, and Liam blushed from the implication that the other werewolf had smelt what he and Stiles had been up to before they came. “Uh, but, ok, we’ll talk later, I’m sure Mason has a few words to say to you, and, well, things haven’t been great in Beacon Hills, we, uh, we need you.”

“What does that mean?”

“That we’ll probably let most of this slide until a later date.” Scott grunted and locked eyes with Liam. “But it isn’t us letting you off the hook for running away, Liam, we’re pack, we’re important. It’s your parents that are going to get first go at you anyway!”

“Great.” Liam muttered, unnerved by Scott’s grin. 

“C’mon, Theo.” Scott gestured for the other werewolf to join him. “Let’s give Liam and Mason some space, huh?”

“It’s fine, go ahead.” Theo pointed at the jetty. “I’ll check out the water, let them talk up here.”

“Um, no, I don’t think that’s…” Scott trailed off when Liam looked between them. He could smell the added stress in Scott’s already disappointed scent and didn’t like the way his Alpha glanced from him to Theo. After a moment, Scott nodded. “Ok, I’ll be inside.”

“Yeah.” Theo glanced at Liam and then turned away, walking towards the lake.

“Hmm.” Liam frowned at the werewolf’s retreating back, drawing a blank on Theo’s scent. It was concealed behind a layer of cool detachment that reminded Liam of staring at a white wall. He was pulled from his thoughts by Mason approaching him and shaking his head. “What?”

“Dude, please tell me you haven’t been fucking and getting fucked by Stiles for three weeks?” 

“No, of course not!”

“Oh.” Mason huffed and suddenly punched Liam hard on the arm. “Why the hell did you leave then?! You have no idea the shit we’ve been dealing with at home while you were up here, relaxing; like chimeras, and gangs of crazy monsters at night, but then they’re perfectly normal dudes during the day! And then people getting attacked! And Brett…fuck, me and Brett dude, it’s like-”

“Sounds intense.” Liam mumbled, rubbing his arm as he looked over his shoulder towards the cabin. _Scott’s inside, crap! Now he has to know that Stiles and I were…But maybe Mason’s idea might… uh, yeah, Liam, because your parents would totally let you and Stiles keep dating if they thought you spent three weeks in the woods boning each other!_ “Uh, what?”

“I asked what you were thinking, running off just like that?” Mason was looking at him angrily, disappointment lacing his scent too.

“It’s complicated.”

“Yeah, I figured. But I mean, if you saw something in the forest that night-Scott said that you and Stiles were there-if you saw the chimera who attacked Theo, then I guess it makes a sort of sense that you’d want to leave, right? Those guys are fucking crazy; I’ve seen the poisonous one, Lucas, rip a guy in half! That’s why you left, right?” Mason asked carefully, holding his breath as though he was testing Liam’s reaction. “Well?”

“Um, I don’t know anything about that.” Liam evaded the questions and pointed at the jetty. “Why he’d come with you anyway? Is Theo part of the pack now?”

“He hasn’t taken your place,” Mason smirked as they began to walk towards where Theo was standing at the edge of the wooden jetty. “I guess you could call him a pack ally, Theo knows a lot about the enemy; they’re called the Dread Doctors, by the way.”

“Oh, that doesn’t sound ominous at all.” Liam glanced at his best friend. “Um, Mason? Are we good?”

“Good? Haha, no, we’re pretty far from ‘good,’ Liam.” Mason shook his head. “Maybe if you start telling me the truth and explain why you left, maybe…I don’t know, man, you didn’t even send me a message.”

“I’m sorry.” The werewolf replied simply. “I know you’re curious, but…I just can’t tell you right now.”

“Ok.” Mason grunted, his scent twisting into irritation. They were at the end of the jetty now and he nodded at Theo. “Hey, anything interesting?”

“No fish, at least, none that I can see.” Theo shrugged and sat down on the edge, biceps tensing in his short-sleeved t-shirt as he pressed his hands against the wooden planks. “But it is peaceful, I can see why it’d be a good place to…get lost in.”

“Uh, something like that.” Liam mumbled. He remained on his feet while Mason sat next to Theo. Liam folded his arms and stood a little way off to the side as the uncomfortable silence stretched. _Ok, so, Scott suspects something for sure, unless Theo has already told him? But then why does Mason think a chimera attacked Theo? And would they have really allowed me to be out here with him if they knew that I killed him? Wait a minute, he_ was _dead! I know he was; I felt his life leave his body, his glassy eyes, all that blood…_

“Liam!” Mason shouted, breaking him from his thoughts. He was pointing at a wooden pillar several feet from the jetty’s edge. “What’s that, a mooring? Do you guys have a boat?”

“No, it’s not for a boat, I was, um, I was training.” Liam shrugged as Mason’s brows arched. “Anger-management, the werewolf edition, heh.”

“Did it work?” Theo asked, his expression matching his blank scent.

“You could say that.” Liam nodded, not meeting his eyes, the memories of his claws covered in Theo’s blood flashing repeatedly in front of his mind’s eye. He finally looked up and caught the fear lurking in Theo’s gaze before the werewolf managed to conceal it again. Liam hung his head in shame and they lapsed into silence again, Mason’s expression turning thoughtful as he watched their awkward interaction.

 

“I sent the videos! I told you we were fine! Everything is perfectly under control!” Stiles glared at Scott and his father as they stood side by side, arms folded and looking at him disbelievingly. “I didn’t need you to come out here and rescue us!”

“I think there’s been enough cumming.” Scott muttered just loud enough for Stiles to hear.

“H-How did you know we were even out here?” Stiles demanded, struggling to hold onto the moral high ground when the Sheriff glared at him, his father’s complexion getting redder and redder as Scott continued his muttered commentary. “We were just here to get some alone time and-”

“Three weeks of alone time, wow, I’m gonna need a gas mask.”

“And maybe that involved some-” Stiles stopped mid-sentence as Scott grimaced and looked pointedly at the couch. _Ok…so, maybe it is a bit ripe in here…_ “Uh, answer my question!”

“Peter Hale came forward with some information to suggest you were in this area.” His father explained, glancing around the cabin as Scott moved towards the window as though to check on Liam. “He offered it on the condition that if we found you, he’d stay free, no going back to Eichen House. I’m not sure whether to be happy that you’re here or disappointed; the man is a menace.”

“You could just leave us here!” Stiles suggested with a toothy grin. 

“No.” The Sheriff replied shortly. “Where’s the damn bathroom, Stiles? And put on some coffee, I have a feeling we’ll be here for a while until I get a proper explanation from you.”

“Yeah, uh, there’s milk and sugar in the kitchen.”

“No cream?” Scott somehow managed to keep his face straight as Stiles glowered at him.

“Nope.”

“Really?” The werewolf tilted his head surreptitiously at the couch seat nearest to Stiles.

“Bathroom is second door on the left, I know how it sucks to have to hold it!” Stiles pointed frantically as he glanced to where Scott had been looking. A sudden rushing heat raced up his back towards his neck when he spotted several thick ropes of Liam’s cum lying in plain view on the couch. He edged sideways and sat down suddenly as the Sheriff shook his head in disappointment. “Really, Dad, we weren’t doing… _that_ all the time we were up here! There were genuine, legit reasons for coming-”

“Stop, just stop, Stiles.” The Sheriff covered his face with his hands.

“Damn it! I knew we shouldn’t have pulled in for that candy run back in Gold Mountain!” Scott exclaimed, “I’m sorry, Sheriff, maybe I could’ve intervened before they-”

“Scott! Shut up!” Stiles glared at them, trying to ignore the blush that had now spread across his face and was rapidly heading towards his collar bones. The door opened, and Liam, Mason, and Theo entered slowly. “Ah, good! Liam will tell you that we’ve been doing productive things while we were up here, right, pup?!”

“ _Pup?_ ” Theo’s surprised voice caused them all to look at him. “Hardly a harmless puppy, Stiles.”


	102. Back From the Dead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the lack of a chapter last week, I was doing a daily update for one of my other series.

“What does that mean?” Stiles asked as Liam shuffled around the room away from Theo. “Huh?”

“You wouldn’t want to be up here without someone to…defend you.” Theo replied slowly as though choosing his words carefully. “I simply meant that Liam is a werewolf with _very_ sharp claws, and I picked up the scent of bears near the lake’s edge. Have you seen any?”

“Um, no, I didn’t know that.”

“Hmm, with the increase in campers and the scarcity of food, bear and human interactions have grown more common.” Theo smiled at them as they stared in surprise. “Most of the time the bears back away but having a protective werewolf to watch your back certainly negates that scenario becoming more…unpleasant.”

“How, how do you know all that?” Liam asked, relief surging through his voice. 

“I was always good at school; the sciences, biology is still my favorite.” Theo shrugged and turned away from them to stand next to window, looking out at the lake. “And I’ve always liked animals.”

“Uh, ok.” Stiles muttered when Theo didn’t say anything else. “So…”

“Are we just going to skip over-”

“Yes! Yes we are!” Stiles interrupted his father and pulled Liam down beside him on the couch. “Uh, I was just about to tell them what we’ve been up to, Liam.”

“Oh, right.” Liam fought the urge to just stare at the floor as he smelt Scott’s careful neutrality, the Sheriff’s mingled rage and embarrassment, and the same concealed scent from Theo. Instead the werewolf looked up and glanced at Mason, his best friend trying not to grin at it all. Liam sighed when Stiles squeezed his hand reassuringly. “Ok, um, real talk, I guess.”

“That would be a welcome relief.” The Sheriff muttered and sat down in the arm chair nearest the kitchen. Scott and Mason remained near the door, and Theo was still looking out the window as though the conversation had nothing to do with him. “Go on, Liam.”

“Yeah, ok,” He pulled his eyes from the recently dead werewolf’s back and glanced at Stiles. “So, you guys know that I’ve always had some trouble controlling the shift and even though things were getting better for a while, I had a, uh, relapse, I guess. It was just before school started and um…”

_Ah…I see, I guess I can take the fall for this until we figure out how Theo is alive, or whatever the explanation he has for what happened._ ” Stiles thought to himself, quickly catching onto where Liam was heading with his story. He pressed his lips together apologetically. “I did spend most of the summer vacation talking about my plans with you, Scott, and the rest of the Seniors, you know; us all going to college and stuff.”

“It shouldn’t have affected me like it did,” Liam picked up again, careful to suppress the gratitude that threatened to swamp his scent. “But it did, and I got stressed and started to freak out about Stiles moving away and leaving me behind.”

“Uh huh.” The Sheriff frowned but nodded for them to keep talking.

“It was completely spur of the moment,” Stiles forced a laugh, watching Scott for his reaction. “But that night, Liam was just panicking and, uh-”

“Hysterical!” The werewolf jumped in, his cheeks flushing as Scott arched a brow. “I know it’s stupid, but I thought Stiles was gonna…”

“So, I suggested that we go away for a while, completely off the grid, away from all those sources of stress that were triggering Liam’s loss of control.” Stiles recognized the furrow in his father’s brow that indicated he wasn’t quite buying it. “But, uh, it wasn’t for…you know, _that._ We actually had a plan and a framework to help Liam work through his anger and control problems.”

“It worked, by the way.” Liam added when Scott folded his arms, nostrils flaring to test the truth of their scents. The younger werewolf kept his breathing steady as he explained the various trials and tests that Stiles put him through in order to gauge and increase his level of control. “…and even when Peter Hale was threatening us in the parking lot, I didn’t turn or anything.”

“It’s true, he was in complete control.” Stiles finished, sitting back and putting an arm around his boyfriend. “I know it was stupid to run away and everyone was worried and I’m sorry for that, but we really thought it was for the best, right, Liam?”

“Exactly.” He nodded furiously, looking back at the still-unmoving form of Theo at the window. “I didn’t want to become a danger to Beacon Hills, I don’t want to hurt anyone.” _Again…_

 

There was silence in the cabin after Liam stopped speaking and the Sheriff looked at Scott for his response. The Alpha frowned and turned away from them, “Theo?”

“Yeah?”

“Is that what happened?”

Liam struggled to keep his pulse even and he felt Stiles tighten his grip on his hand, the two of them waiting nervously for Theo’s answer. _Oh god, maybe I should have my claws out…yeah, that would really help, Liam! Keep calm!_  
The recently dead werewolf turned towards them, a curious frown on his handsome face. “I’m not sure why you’re asking me, Scott, I didn’t have anything to do with their disappearance.”

“I wasn’t saying you did.” Scott muttered, glaring at him. “But by all accounts, Stiles and Liam were the last people to see you before you di-”

“Other than my attacker, you mean.” Theo cut across him quickly, his eyes glancing across to Liam and Stiles. “And I already told you that I didn’t see enough of them to get a description. That’s what I told your Deputy Parrish too, Sheriff.”

“I read the statement.” The Sheriff looked as though he was sucking a lemon. “I wish I could tell you that we’d protect you, Theo, but I know that won’t convince you with the way we’re handling the chimera problem. Maybe then you’d feel comfortable enough to tell us the truth, you’re not the first assault case I’ve dealt with, just one of the few where we can’t offer you protection from whoever tried to kill you.”

“I don’t need your protection, Sheriff.” Theo bowed his head slightly, his eyes lingering on Liam. “Not that I don’t appreciate the offer, just that there’s no point in continuing your investigation, I have nothing further to say.  
“Hmm.” Scott grunted, turning back to them. “I just think it’s a hell of a coincidence; you and Liam leave on the same night Theo gets attacked. Especially since you said you had something important to tell me, Stiles. I’m guessing it was about the chimeras? The Dread Doctors?”

“The…dread…what?!” Stiles stared at him. He stood up suddenly, pulling his untucked shirt down over the seat of his trousers. “Uh, I think you and I need to have a talk, Scott.”

“Theo told me most of it, I bet he can fill in more gaps than I can.” Scott replied, eyes on Liam. When the werewolf showed no outward reaction, the Alpha nodded. “Let’s take it outside, the air is kinda stuffy in here.”

Stiles rolled his eyes but followed them through the door. As Liam made to go after him, the Sheriff stepped into his path and handed him the satellite phone. “Uh, what’s this?”

“I promised your parents that if I found you and Stiles, you’d call them.”

“Oh, uh, I don’t know any numbers off…” Liam’s voice faltered as the Sheriff looked at him. _Fuck! I bet that’s the expression he uses to get confessions!_ “Uh.”

“It’s pre-programed; dial one and you’ll get through.” The man gestured for Mason to come with him into the kitchen. “Still need that coffee, you?”

“Sure.” Mason nodded, turning to mouth “good luck” at Liam.

“I’m gonna need it.” Liam said miserably, pressing the button and holding the phone up to his ear as he turned around to look out the window at Stiles, Scott, and Theo talking nearby. There was a static buzz and then the call connected. He took a deep breath as his step-father’s voice came through the earpiece. “Um, hey, it’s me…”

 

“That’s pretty insane.” Stiles muttered, shaking his head after Scott gave him the condensed version of what had happened since their departure. “If we had known it was so bad…”

“I don’t think you and Liam could’ve helped out all that much, to be honest.” Scott shrugged and patted his best friend on his shoulder. “Maybe we’d have less stress to deal with, but other than that, we’d be completely clueless if Theo hadn’t shown up.”

“I didn’t do anything special.” Theo shook his head. “Unless you count getting nearly ripped apart by a wild chimera, heh.”

“It’s not something to joke about.” Stiles replied quickly, not quite able to meet his eyes. _Why the hell is he lying to protect Liam? Is this some sort of long game? There has to be consequences for what Liam did, unless Theo thinks we wouldn’t punish him because Liam is my boyfriend and Scott’s Beta? Fuck, that’s some screwed up logic if-_

“Stiles?” Scott shoved him playfully. “Wandering off, huh? I know we interrupted you and Liam when you were-”

“Scott!” 

“Haha,” The Alpha grinned at him. “Dude, we’ve so much more to catch up on and we haven’t even told you the latest intel Theo got from the Doctors last night, but damn, bro, it’s so good to have you back!”

“Uh, thanks?” Stiles muttered, suddenly crushed when Scott pulled him into a tight bearhug. Theo smirked and walked away from them, heading back to the jetty, their conversation apparently finished. “Scott?”

“Yep?!”

“Uh, thanks,” Stiles lowered his voice when they broke apart, nodding at Theo’s retreating back. “Are you sure about him? How can you trust someone who works for these…Dread Doctors?”

“He’s kinda like a undercover cop,” Scott shrugged before he suddenly grinned. “Oh, no, he’s like that guy from that wizard book that Kira is making me read along with her, uh, you know, the English one with all the wands and the owls and the, the school?!”

“Oh… _Harry Potter_?” Stiles shook his head, “Uh, never mind what he’s like, I just want to know that you’re being careful.”

“Like you were with Liam?” Scott’s smile disappeared, and Stiles suddenly felt his blood chill, their mellow conversation veering into dangerous waters. “Seriously, Stiles? If you were that worried about Liam losing control, then why didn’t you come to me? We could’ve come up with something together.”

“I thought I could handle it better if it was just me and Liam faraway.”

“He could’ve flipped out at any time and ripped your throat out!”

“Liam wouldn’t do that.” Stiles glared at his best friend, the next words slipping out before he could stop them. “Not to me!”

Scott fell silent and Stiles followed his gaze to the figure standing still at the end of the jetty. The Alpha finally looked back at him. “What about to someone else?”

_He already knows, doesn’t he? Even if Theo didn’t tell him exactly, there’s too many holes, too little filler._ Stiles sighed and shook his head, speaking quietly. “I don’t know what you mean, Scott, maybe you should talk to Liam? It’d be good to get your evaluation of how he’s doing anyway, if what we accomplished out here actually will help.”

“That depends on what he’s trying to avoid doing,” Scott held his gaze, his expression disappointed. “Whether that’s something that hasn’t happened yet, or something he’s trying to atone for.”

“Mmh.” Stiles grunted noncommittedly, his insides scrunching up at his best friend’s bitterness. _I really don’t want to lie to you, Scott. Man, I gotta get Theo on his own and figure out what he’s up to. Maybe when we get back to Beacon Hills, if I talk to him without Liam first, he might open up a bit more._

 

Stiles looked up as Liam trudged towards them, his head down, hands hanging by his side. “I’m guessing that call didn’t go so well, huh?”

“I _wish_ there had been shouting.” Liam muttered, nudging Stiles and leaning into him when his boyfriend wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “But instead there was all this crying and relief and then a promise to explain everything. I tried to say it was my fault, but my Mom seems to want to blame you for what happened.”

“We’ll figure it out, Liam.” Stiles kissed the top of his head, sighing a moment later when he saw his father standing in the doorway, pointing for Stiles to join him. “But I guess this is the end of our Great Cabin Getaway!”

“Don’t forget your gadgets!” Liam called after him when Stiles hurried to obey the Sheriff’s repeated gestures. The werewolf slouched again, looking around him at the trees and the lake and the cabin, trying to commit it all to memory before they left. He frowned when he saw Scott talking quietly to Theo by the water’s edge, their words lost in the lapping of waves from the strengthening wind. 

Liam took a deep breath to calm his nerves, drawing the scent of the pine forest into his lungs, the urge to shift dissipating as he exhaled his stress. _Ok, ok, you heard Theo in there, he hasn’t said anything, but I don’t think anyone bought that he doesn’t know that his attacker is…me. Fuck, and it’s not like I can just talk to him alone, he’d think I was there to finish the job or something! Maybe I can find him at school, talk to him on the lacrosse field, where it’s open and there’s lots of people around?_

“Hey, Liam? Catch!”

“Ah!” Liam cried out as a bag of coffee bounced off his head and the werewolf turned around to glare at Mason. “I’m right here!”

“Well, get your butt inside and help us pack!” His best friend laughed, “You guys somehow managed to spread all your stuff out and the Sheriff wasn’t to get on the road home before we lose light.”

“Coming.” Liam muttered dejectedly and turned to follow Mason inside.


	103. The Chimera Problem

Liam gave the cabin one last wistful look and then turned around to follow Stiles towards his Jeep, the Sheriff’s stern eyes monitoring them closely. It wasn’t so much that he was unhappy to be returning home or that the lake and the cabin had been such great places to be, but rather that they represented a security and safety and calm that Liam had never experienced in Beacon Hills since the Bite. His parents had been emotional on the phone, but he knew that once he returned home, they would expect answers, and Liam wasn’t sure what he could say that would satisfy them. _Perhaps Stiles can help me with that…_

He climbed into the Jeep alongside Stiles, tossing his jacket in back, the action allowing Liam to see Mason talking with Theo, his words lost over the growling of their SUVs’ engines. The werewolf scowled when Mason got into Theo’s truck. “Huh?”

“I asked if you had everything?” Stiles clipped his seatbelt in and revved the engine. “I don’t think we’ll be coming back here for a while.”

“Yeah, I know.” Liam sighed and nodded. “I checked, and I have everything, it’s not like we brought much anyway.”

“Mmh.” Stiles grunted and reversed out onto the gravel road, stopping as his father pulled up in front of them. “Ok, looks like we’re getting escorted.”

“They really mustn’t trust us,” Liam laughed nervously, looking back over his seat again. Scott roared past on his motorbike, a spray of gravel and mud from his spinning tires, a moment later, Liam’s eyes connected with Theo and the older werewolf nodded at him. “Shit.” Liam turned back quickly and slumped in his seat. “Stiles, we have to talk about Theo.”

“I know.” He grunted as the wheels fought for traction before they were able to pull away from the entrance to the cabin’s driveway. His father had secured the house and locked it with a key that he had brought with him. Stiles felt his heart beat faster and his chest tighten; not because he was nervous about their Theo-shaped problem, but more because of what Scott had warned him about. _Beacon Hills sounds like it’s a warzone; these chimeras and Dread Doctors have some sort of plan, they must do. But what on earth is it? Did I do this by not staying around to warn Scott, to tell him what Theo told us that night in the woods? But if I had waited, I wouldn’t have been able to protect Liam and give him the opportunity to learn how to fully control himself. And yet…_

“Stiles?” Liam repeated as his boyfriend’s eyes glided into a faraway gaze. He shrugged when he got no response, turning to look out the window as the lake slipped by and trees surrounded them once more. He knew that it hadn’t been ideal and the circumstances for their arrival weren’t what either of them wanted, but Liam still felt as though he was losing something the further they got from the lake and the cabin. It had a sense of comfort and security that was as much to do with the isolation it offered, as it was that Stiles that was there with him. Even though Liam still got chills down his spine whenever he thought of Stiles’ wolfsbane-loaded gun or the times he himself almost lost control and attacked Stiles, he felt his stomach churn with greater anxiety at what would be waiting for them at home.

 

Once they had left the country roads and picturesque vistas of Gold Mountain behind and were cruising on the highway, Stiles glanced at Liam, seeing the werewolf fidgeting with a thread in the hem of his t-shirt. “You ok?”

“Yeah.” There was a pause and then Liam shook his head. “No. Stiles?”

“Hmm?”

“I know what we told Scott and your Dad, and Mason, and, uh, _him_ was kinda true, but do you think maybe we should have been more honest? I don’t want you to have to take the fall for this, I know I sorta let you take the blame back there, but I didn’t mean it that way.” Liam touched his arm and Stiles grinned at him reassuringly.

“It’s alright, not like we have much of an alternative, right?”

“Well,” He paused, taking a breath. “What if I told my parents the truth? All of it? Well, most of it, Theo is alive, so we don’t have to tell them that I…you know, especially since he was only hurt. And they could see that, right? We could, uh, point Theo out to them?”

“Hmm.” Stiles sighed at Liam’s hopeful voice. “Are you sure you’d be ok with them knowing that you basically violently assaulted someone?”

“Better than murder.” Liam muttered.

“How convincing.” Stiles shot back, before grimacing apologetically. “Sorry, look, I get that you’re relieved that Theo is alive and that even though you were defending yourself, we don’t know what his motives are.”

“I don’t think that he’ll talk to us.” 

“Perhaps not to you.” Stiles replied carefully as Liam frowned. “Look, I want to talk to him just as much as I want to be captured by the Benefactor again, but without knowing what Theo wants, or why he’s actively covering for us, we can’t make any rash decisions. Let me talk to him, see if he’s trying to blow us up and if we just need to deny that you were ever at that bridge in the first place.”

“Hmm, I don’t like the idea of you talking to him alone.” Liam twitched his lips. _Huh, Stiles did just say that he thinks I was defending myself, what if Theo says that I’m lying? But Stiles will believe me…even if Theo is telling the truth._ “Anyway, so, you think I should just stick to what we said earlier when my parents ask what happened?”

“I know you guys have a good relationship and you’ve been in a really great place since you told them about being a werewolf, but yeah, tell them the same story as everyone else, and we can figure something for school.” Stiles rubbed the back of his neck as Theo overtook the car behind them to ensure that the Jeep was still sandwiched between his truck and the police SUV. “That’s gonna paint me as the villain, and I know your step-father is gonna freak out, but I can handle that. It’s just safer until we can get a handle on what Theo wants.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Liam sighed, shrugging unhappily. “What if they want us to break up?”

“Well, I-” Stiles’ response was cut off by a burst of static from the police scanner behind them.

“Stiles, switch to channel two-six, repeat, two-six.”

 

“Uh, yeah, I got it.” Stiles called out as Liam held the mic for him. He pulled his hand back from where he was twiddling with the dials. “I hear you, Dad.”

“Good, I thought we should talk before we got home. Things aren’t the same as when you,” There was an awkward pause before the Sheriff spoke again. “When you and Liam left.”

“Scott was saying something about chimeras; werewolves, kinda, but they have a bunch of different abilities and are immune to mountain ash and wolfsbane, right?”

“That’s right.” 

“So,” Stiles glanced at Liam, seeing his boyfriend nod slowly. “How bad is it?”

“Bad.” The Sheriff muttered, a static hiss filling the space left by his words. “They operate mostly at night, according to Theo, during the day they are regular teenagers, but after the sun goes down, things change. He says that they’re not ordinary chimeras like, uh, well, like him.”

“Um.” Liam stared at the mic, his eyes widening. He could hear Stiles’ pulse race at the same time and muttered, “Wow, that’s-”

“Unexpected.” Stiles finished his sentence and held up his hand to stall Liam’s questions. “Uh, ok, so what happens during the night?”

“Best way to describe them is that they’re like a gang. They go around causing mayhem and damage, but apparently that’s just a cover so the Dread Doctors can take more teenagers. We’ve certainly noticed an increase in the numbers of missing persons.” The Sheriff paused as he overtook a slow driver and the convoy followed him across the lanes. “Scott told me that based on his conversations with Theo, that these are different chimeras than the ones the Doctors made before.”

“Before?”

“Point is that we have no idea how to stop them, and as much as Scott might be reluctant to admit it, he’s equally lost.”

“Maybe we can help out?” Liam offered hopefully as Stiles nodded.

“Yeah, Dad, don’t know how you expected to solve this without the help of Beacon Hills’ greatest sleuths! We put the Benefactor out of business, remember?!” Stiles added with a smirk.

“Don’t remind me.” The Sheriff muttered darkly. “There’s a curfew in place, so we’ll go straight home, and Liam’s parents can come and collect him in the morning.”

“Oh, that’s cool.” Stiles grinned as Liam echoed him. “I’m sure he won’t mind.”

“Uh huh, he’ll be sleeping in the spare room. Ok, Stiles, two and a half hours to home, don’t break the speed limit and stay in formation.”

“Yes, Sheriff.” Stiles replied morosely, gesturing for Liam to return the mic to its place on the police radio. “I guess we should enjoy the time we have left, huh?”

“Yeah,” Liam was quiet, staring at the road in front of them.

“Hey, don’t worry, pup, it’s gonna be ok.”

_Wish I could believe that, Stiles._ Liam just nodded, feeling his spirits sink further with every mile closer they came to Beacon Hills.

 

The town was shrouded in darkness by the time they turned into Stiles’ street, but the houses along the row were lit up and the driveways filled with cars, external lights beaming into the otherwise hidden parts of their gardens. Stiles turned off the engine after he parked next to the police SUV, and climbed out with Liam, seeing Theo park on the street, Scott moving up to stop behind Stiles’ Jeep. “That was a long-ass drive.”

“Yeah.” Scott stifled a yawn and stretched his arms over his head. “Two things before we go our separate ways.”

“Uh huh?”

“Stiles, I’ll see you tomorrow, bring you up to speed on what’s been going on.” He spoke to his best friend first. “And I also have all your homework assignments!”

“Gee, Scott, you shouldn’t have.” Stiles grunted, grabbing one of his bags from the back of the Jeep as his father went inside to turn on the lights.

“And, Liam,” The Alpha turned to the younger teenager. “Tell your parents that I’ll be over in the afternoon, they’ve been asking me about you every day since you two disappeared, and we need to talk anyway. Alone.” He added when Liam glanced at Stiles. 

“Yeah, I figured as much; werewolf stuff.” Stiles nodded, covering his mouth as he yawned. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine, I know you’ve had a, err, tiring day.” Scott flushed and quickly averted his eyes. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

“Uh huh.” Stiles carefully avoided Liam’s eyes and instead stepped forward to embrace Scott. “Um, with everything that happened, I should have said thank you sooner.”

“Huh?”

“You came all the way out to Big Bear Lake to get us when you could’ve just let my Dad come. Or Theo.” Stiles added softly, standing back in time to see a smirk flash across Scott’s face. “Ok, dude, get home safe, alright?”

“Will do.” Scott waved goodbye to Liam and got back on his bike. He turned around slowly before roaring away down the street.

“C’mon inside.” Stiles touched Liam’s arm, noticing the way his boyfriend was watching Theo and Mason. “Pretty sure you’ll be able to see Mason again, I want to savour these last few hours with you!”

“Ugh.” Liam rolled his eyes but waved at Mason and then followed Stiles inside.

“I’m making grilled cheese.” The Sheriff said shortly once they had closed and bolted the door. “There’s hot water if you want a shower, Liam, and Stiles, I want whatever clothes you have from the cabin downstairs for the laundry.”

“Sure, Dad.” Stiles replied without resistance, gesturing for Liam to take the bags upstairs. 

“I might actually have that shower,” Liam looked at him and dropped the luggage next to Stiles’ bed. It looked exactly as they had left it on that night, though the scent of his boyfriend was faded, stale. “I feel kinda icky from, uh, well, from earlier. We didn’t get a chance to wash off afterwards.”

“I feel that.” Stiles nodded and let Liam walk away before he sat down on the edge of his bed. _Back again. It feels smaller than before, or maybe it’s just that the cabin had a space to it that wasn’t entirely to do with the lake and the forest?_ “Heh, or maybe it’s just the familiar feeling of anxiety coming back…” Stiles muttered to himself and took a deep breath, trying to control the panic that threatened to overwhelm him. 

 

“Liam? That you?” Stiles straightened up from where he was looking in his closet for fresh socks. 

“Yeah.”

“What’s wrong?” He looked at his boyfriend, skin flushed from the heat of the shower, hair sticking in a dozen different directions. 

“I talked to my Mom just now,” Liam sat down on the edge of Stiles’ bed, his boyfriend joining him a moment later, their shoulders rubbing. “She’s happy I’m back in Beacon Hills, but I could hear this tension in her heart beat, and there was a sharp edge to her voice. I don’t think I’ll just walk in there tomorrow and everything will be back to normal after five minutes.”

“You remember our plan, right?” Stiles wrapped his arm around Liam, hugging him closer. “It’s my fault, at least for now, if you want to share the blame later, we’ll discuss that once I know what Theo’s deal is.”

“That sounds like you have something in mind?”

“I’ll text Scott later, get Theo’s number and set up a meeting; ideally with just the chimera himself. But I guess Scott knows Theo better than we do if he’s been helping the pack.” Stiles glanced up to see his father standing in the doorway. “I know, we’ll be done in a minute.”

“Good, I’ll see you both in the morning.” The Sheriff stepped inside and clasped Stiles’ shoulder affectionately. “I’m glad you’re home, son.”

“Thanks, Dad.” He waited until they were alone to look back at Liam. “We’ll figure this out.”

“Yeah.” The werewolf stood up, brow furrowed. “I’ll see you in the morning, Stiles.” 

“Goodnight, pup.” Stiles kissed him and smiled as Liam’s embrace lasted a while longer than usual, the younger teen resting his head on Stiles’ chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating until mid-week, guys. I’ve moved to Germany (from the US) as part of my job and am getting set up here. So, chapters might be a bit more spaced out as I figure out schedules and the time difference, but I intend on releasing a chapter for this story each week. I may go back up to my previous frequency of a new chapter every few days, but I’ll need my desktop to arrive before that happens!


	104. Reunions and Divisions

Stiles pulled in just before the turn off to Liam’s street, his Dad and Dr Geyer agreeing to let him drive the werewolf over after some twenty minutes of protracted arguments and assurances that they wouldn’t run off again. But it seemed that the Sheriff didn’t entirely trust them as Stiles checked his rear-view mirror to see a bored-looking Deputy Parrish stopping behind them in a police cruiser. “Ok, pup, we’re nearly there.”

“I know.” Liam sighed and stared at the faded upholstery between his feet. “Kinda wish you took the long way around.”

“Hmm, don’t think that would have flown with the babysitter back there.” Stiles grinned at him as Liam looked over his shoulder.

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry about it, Liam, they shouldn’t go too hard on you,” He placed an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders and pulled him in close. “Remember, you’re blaming everything on me!”

“That’s not funny, Stiles.” The werewolf muttered, inclining his head towards the older teen’s chest, nostrils flaring as he took deeper breaths. Liam savoured the reassuring scent, holding the air inside his lungs for a moment too long before breathing out. “This is way worse than that time I trashed Coach’s car in Devenford Prep.”

“Yeah, ok, but they don’t have to know everything, not yet, not until I get a better understanding of what Theo is up to.”

“Why do you have to be the one to ask him?”

“Well…” Stiles trailed off meaningfully.

“Ugh, yeah, I know _that._ ” Liam grunted and sat upright again. “But why does it have to be you? Can’t Scott do it? Or Mason? They’re like best friends now.” He added with a grumble.

“I don’t know, but I think Theo might be more honest with me.” Stiles shrugged, “I know you said that the argument that started the fight and led to his, err, injuries was to do with me. But you trust me, right?”

“Of course!”

“Good,” Stiles grinned at the instant response. “Then I’ll talk to you later, somehow, and we’ll figure out what you can or want to tell your parents about this whole thing. Sound like a plan?”

“Yeah.” Liam nodded slowly, before looking at his street sign. “I just have to survive the apocalypse that’s about to happen right now…”

“Haha, it won’t be that bad, Liam!” Stiles restarted the engine, and with Deputy Parrish continuing to shadow them, he turned the corner and brought the Jeep down Liam’s street. “Hmm, looks like the Welcome Wagon is already waiting for you.” He nodded towards Dr Geyer, the frowning physician standing on the curb, arms folded across his chest.

“Great…” Liam sighed, his gaze moving back to the floor again.

 

Liam watched mournfully as Stiles drove away, his step-father not even allowing him to get out of the Jeep. Deputy Parrish had turned around and followed Stiles, leaving Liam to stand next to the man. He pressed his lips together and waited until his boyfriend’s blue Jeep had vanished around the corner before glancing at his house. _I’m beginning to wish I had just stayed in the car…_

“Come on, Liam, your mother and I want to talk to you.”

“Where is she?” Liam asked as he picked up his bag and followed Dr Geyer inside.

“Just finishing a con-call with the firm; she’s taken a lot of time off in order to,” Dr Geyer hesitated, searching for the words. “Uh, in case you came back on your own or told us where you were so we could go get you.”

“Right.” The werewolf frowned, the sensation of a lead ball sinking through his stomach made him nauseous. _Damn, I hope she’s not in trouble because of that. Maybe I should have told Stiles that we didn’t have to leave that night, maybe-_

“Liam!”

“Huh? Oh, sorry.” Liam blinked and drew a deep breath, stepping into the living room as Dr Geyer pointed to the couch. He sat down slowly, tension causing cramps in his legs and thighs, the desire to run gripping him tight. But the werewolf pushed the craving to the back of his mind, focusing on the normalcy of their living room; the polished glass in the center of the coffee table, the neat stack of subscribed magazines on one end, the half-finished crossword in the weekly paper that his step-father never got around to completing. 

By the time his parents had entered the room, Liam was feeling much better; his pulse steady and claws no longer threatening to emerge as they had been a few moments earlier. He immediately stood up and embraced his mother, their initial awkwardness cast aside as he caught the scent of her anxiety shifting into affection and relief. “Hey, it’s ok, I’m back.”

 

Stiles turned off the ignition and climbed out of his Jeep, cockily saluting Deputy Parrish as the cop drove past, two fingers touching his forehead. He turned back in time to see his Dad standing in the doorway, arms folded across his chest. Stiles let the grin slide off his face and hung his head, walking up to the Sheriff. “Sorry.”

“Uh huh, come inside, we should discuss the consequences of you and Liam running away.”

“I already figured that I’ll be grounded until I’m, like, twenty!” He shrugged and followed him inside, heading for the kitchen as the Sheriff gestured with his empty coffee cup. “But it was all my idea, Dad, so that-”

“Cut the crap, Stiles.” His Dad interrupted him sharply. “I know there’s something else going on, and I’m thinking it must have something to do with Theo and his…assault.”

“Uh huh.” Stiles grunted, carefully avoiding his father’s eyes. “That’s an interesting theory.”

“You know that you can come to me with anything, right? And I mean _anything,_ whether that is relationship advice-”

“Err…”

“Well, we both know I’d be terrible at that.” The Sheriff shared a smirk with him, before continuing. “But anything else; anything that might have happened that night that you might want to tell me now.”

“I hear you.” Stiles replied, nodding at his father’s deliberate tone.

“Theo said a chimera attacked him, that it was claws that caused his injuries.”

“Sounds like you’re not sure about that.”

“It was claws,” The Sheriff nodded. “But whether they belonged to a chimera or a, or a werewolf, I don’t know. And he didn’t want to talk to us, either me or Scott when we visited him in the hospital.”

“Hospital?” Stiles paused as he took the coffee pot from the machine. “I didn’t think chimeras needed the hospital, especially just for an assault.”

“They do when they’re technically dead.” The Sheriff replied carefully, noticing Stiles involuntary tightening his shoulders. “Something in his chimera makeup allows him to survive otherwise fatal blows, though it has some sort of knock-on effects that Melissa and Dr Geyer didn’t quite understand.”

“Liam’s Dad treated him?” Stiles finally replaced the coffee pot and wrapped both hands around the mug to stop himself from fidgeting. “Huh, so are you saying…”

“That anyone else in his position would be dead.” His father looked at him intensely. “You said you and Liam were in that forest for a reason, what were you trying to do, Stiles? Training? Therapy? That kid has serious rage issues and even though I know you love him, I’m not comfortable with the intensity of your relationship right now.”

“Uh huh.” Stiles just nodded, only speaking when he got an expectant glare. “I don’t want to lie to you, Dad.”

“Then don’t.”

“I’m trying to find the truth.” He paused and shook his head, eyes staring into the distance past his father’s head. “You have your version, and I have mine, and Theo has his, and somewhere in the middle is what really happened that night on the bridge between Theo and…his attacker.”

“Yeah.” The Sheriff sighed heavily. “That’s what I thought. Well, you’re not grounded, Stiles, in fact, it might help if you could do some investigating. I imagine that Theo might talk to you more than he would to me, or even Scott.”

“Why is that?”

“Parrish almost got him to talk, they were hitting it off in the hospital,” His Dad shrugged as Stiles began to frown. “Building a rapport, creating trust, Jordan’s handsome face probably didn’t hurt!”

“Heh,” Stiles smirked as his father laughed. “What happened?”

“Dr Geyer interrupted the interview when Theo was talking about the night it happened, and after that he just clammed up, wouldn’t talk to Jordan at all, at least not about the attack.”

“Hmm. So, you think because we’re both gay that we can find some common ground?”

“It’s a point of interest at least.” The Sheriff put down his coffee cup and looked at him. “Once we find the truth, Stiles, we need to have a more serious discussion, and it gives me time to come up with a more suitable punishment!” He laughed shortly and clapped Stiles on the back.

“Thanks, Dad.” The teenager muttered, staring into his own cup, his mind swirling with unanswered questions from the new information.

 

“Days without contact! _Days,_ Liam!” His mother paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, her calm and relieved demeanour having given way to frustration and anger within minutes of them pulling apart from their heartfelt embrace. “How could you do that to us?!"

“Dear-”

“And don’t get me started on the secrecy of the whole thing! We already know you’re a werewolf, what else is there that you’re hiding from us?!” She talked angrily over her husband as Liam sunk lower into the couch. 

“Dear, let him-”

“Do you know where my mind went? All those dark places; thinking that you’d been kidnapped, or that you and that boyfriend had run away forever, or that you were involved in drugs and-”

“Dear!” Dr Geyer stood up and placed his hands calmly on his wife’s arms. “Relax, take a breath, let Liam explain what happened, ok?” He looked back at his step-son and arched a brow. “Liam?”

“Yeah,” He nodded slowly and looked up at them, the lie forming surprisingly easily in his mind. _I guess being deceitful to my parents isn’t such a big deal after lying to Stiles about attacking Theo first._ “Um, so you guys know that Stiles is a Senior, that this is his last year here in Beacon Hills. And, well, uh, I was having a hard time dealing with the fact that he was going to leave, going to leave me behind. I was freaking out, if I’m being honest.”

“Why didn’t you come to us? Talk to us, let us help you?”

“I didn’t…think.” Liam shrugged and bit his lip to imply that he was nervous even as his confidence in the deception grew. _Hey, maybe this is how Theo was able to lie to Scott and the others yesterday; being so full of himself?!_ “Stiles suggested that we go away for a few days, that he knew this place that was isolated and secure, and we could talk and just, uh…”

“Yeah, I think I know what you mean.” Dr Geyer muttered as Liam’s Mom took a sharp breath and her cheeks colored. 

“No! I didn’t mean that!” Liam shouted out slightly too loud, waving his hands in the air. “Uh, my IED was flaring up, and I was feeling angry about Stiles leaving. And that’d be fine if I was just a regular teenager; you know, use the tools the anger management taught me? But with being a werewolf, that sort of anger can get out of control, you can release it in the…wrong way.” He trailed off, staring at the coffee table as images flickered in his mind of his claws and hands covered in blood and gore, Theo’s dead body bleeding onto the wooden planks of the bridge. When Liam finally blinked and looked up at his parents, he could see the mingled concern and apprehension in their eyes. “But Stiles helped me. That’s what we were doing up there; I’m in control of my anger, not the werewolf.”

“I suppose that has some merit.” His Mom whispered, sitting down on the edge of the couch next to Dr Geyer. “But I still wish you had told us, that you had let us help you, Liam. You should be turning to _us_ not Stiles when you have these emotions and fears.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“It’s easy to lose focus in your first serious relationship,” Dr Geyer added, holding Liam’s gaze. “And see the other person as being the beginning and end of the world.”

“Uh huh.” Liam glanced at the clock on the mantlepiece, seeing the hands swing towards the hour. _Stiles is going to be meeting with Theo soon…_ He looked back at them and shrugged. “So, what’s my punishment?”

“We’re not going to stop you from seeing Stiles.” His Mom exchanged a glance with Dr Geyer and he nodded. “But we’d like if you stepped back and reduced the intensity of your relationship with him. We want you to see that the level of closeness you have with him, especially with Stiles being older than you and moving away soon, is interfering with your ability to make good decisions, Liam.”

“Um.”

“I know you can’t control the fact that you’re a werewolf, but we’d also like if you didn’t get involved in the current chimera problems that Scott has been dealing-”

“What?!” Liam yelled out and jumped to his feet, shaking his head furiously. “They need me! You can’t take me from my pack!”

“We could just ground you,” Dr Geyer responded warningly. “We’re trying to treat you as an adult, Liam, you’re not a kid anymore. So, you can calm down and talk to us rationally, or you can go to your room to cool off.”

“Screw this!” Liam growled, feeling his claws spring out. The werewolf turned away from them suddenly and stomped his way upstairs, ignoring their calls for him to come back. He slammed the door behind him and growled again, “Fucking, who are they to tell me…I’m the pack’s best hope! I…” Liam’s anger vanished as soon as it had appeared, the werewolf staring at his mirror as his silver eyes glowed brightly. The memories of attacking Theo came rushing back and Liam collapsed on his bed, staring at his hands as his claws retracted, after-images of splattered blood lingering on his flesh.


	105. The Chimera on the Bridge

“Where would you like to meet…” Stiles paused, staring at the message on his phone. It sounded so normal, but nothing about this was normal. He sighed and deleted it, before typing out a simpler message. “I can meet you at twelve.”

Stiles placed the phone down on the table and stepped back, his pulse unexpectedly racing. Scott had sent him Theo’s number that morning, and the chimera had responded quickly to his request for a meeting. The phone buzzed a few seconds later, a hard vibration on the wooden surface that sent Stiles bouncing back to pick it up. “What the hell…” He swallowed hard as he read the reply. “Why does he want to meet _there?_ The place where Liam…hmm. Ok, I think I can confirm that Theo has an agenda, maybe he thinks he can throw me off balance or something.” Stiles confirmed the location quickly and slipped the phone into his pocket.

The teenager grabbed his jacket from the bed and pulled it around himself, thoughts swirling in his mind as he darted downstairs. _Is this some sort of set up? Or is he trying to make it clear that there’s no hard feelings? But even though Liam acted in self-defense, I’m not buying that Theo would just be ok with all this._ He was distracted enough not to hear his father call his name until the Sheriff threw a cushion at his head. “Gah!”

“Stiles! Where are you going?”

“Out,” Stiles grumbled, tossing the cushion back. He saw the frown tighten along his father’s brow and spoke again. “I’m going to talk to Theo, like we discussed earlier, common points of interest? Find the truth? Remember?”

“Ok, fine.” The Sheriff nodded. “Make sure you’re back by four, we can talk more then, and I’ll have dinner ready.”

“Oh, great.” Stiles feigned interest, grimacing internally. _Burnt chicken? Incinerated burgers? Fun…_ “I’ll see you then.”

“Take care.”

“Will do.” He waved his goodbye and walked out of the house, his thoughts not settling until he was sitting in his Jeep, backing out onto the road. Part of his mind was occupied by fleeting thoughts of what Liam was doing, how he was getting along with his parents, but the majority of his focus was occupied by devising the right strategy that would get Theo to tell him what he wanted to know. “Why hasn’t he told anyone it was Liam?”

 

The wind blew the fallen leaves along the forest floor in a hushed whisper, only Stiles’ footsteps disturbing nature’s soothing dance. He hadn’t been to the Preserve since that night, and though it had only been a few weeks before, Stiles found the memories had to recall, as though they sat in a pool of dense fog, misshapen figures rising now and again to hint at what had happened. It wasn’t that those events had kept him awake at night, but rather that in the moments of stillness up by Big Bear Lake, Stiles found himself reflecting on the night that they had fled, asking himself if he had missed something, not just from their last interaction with Theo, but about Liam. Stiles had been tired when he did the interview with his boyfriend, and the lingering sensation that he had overlooked some key piece of the puzzle came to him in such quiet moments.

Stiles continued to trudge through the undergrowth, following the rough trail towards the sounds of swiftly flowing water. He stopped when the ground began to rise slightly, the wooden bridge coming into view, a bright red coat visible between the trees, Theo not even trying to hide his presence. _Ok, I can take that as a good sign. Remember why we’re here, Stiles, Liam said Theo attacked him, that’s what we need to prove…_ “Hey!” 

Theo turned and raised his hand in greeting, an echo from that first day at school. “Stiles, thanks for coming.”

“Just surprised you wanted to meet here.” Stiles replied and stepped onto the bridge, walking forward until he was a few feet away from the other teenager. “After…what happened.”

“Mmh.” Theo grunted and glanced at one of the support pillars. “I guess it’s strange.”

“Yeah.” Stiles followed his eyes down to the dark splotches and wide stain on the timber. He swallowed uneasily, meeting Theo’s gaze for a moment before the chimera turned back to stare at the river rushing beneath them. “So, um-”

“My sister died here, and for a while so did I, separated by years, but there’s a sort of pleasing symmetry to that, isn’t there?” Theo talked over him, his tone lacking the usual bite and life that Stiles had associated with him while he had been investigating Theo’s background before the attack. “I’m assuming that Scott and your Dad told you I’m a chimera? That I survived my wounds?”

“Yeah, they told me.” Stiles leaned against the railing, so he could study Theo’s face as he asked the question that had been preying on his mind since the moment Theo showed up the day before. “But they both seem to be under the impression that some random chimera attacked you, and we both know that isn’t true.”

“I suppose.”

“So, why are you covering for Liam? What do you want?”

“I don’t want vengeance or justice or more blood,” Theo answered after a long pause. “And I didn’t want that in the beginning either. I just under-estimated Liam, didn’t understand that he was on such a short fuse, so ready to explode.”

“Hmm.” Stiles frowned. _He’s hiding something, he’s not telling the truth about some part of this. If…say if Theo didn’t attack first, if it was Liam that took the aggressive route, even though Theo is alive, that changes things, doesn’t it? Changes what Liam told me from the truth to…hang on, Stiles, don’t go there without seeing if it’s even a possibility. Now, how to get a reluctant Theo to tell me that?_ He wetted his lips as the chimera glanced at him, brows arched. “Uh, yeah, I’m sorry about Liam.”

“Really?”

“He didn’t think that you’d be comfortable talking if he was here.” Stiles tapped his fingers along the railing nervously. “And, uh, well, Liam sometimes lets his anger get the better of him, so, uh, let me apologize on his behalf.” He watched Theo carefully, seeing the other teenager nod slowly. “For attacking you?”

“Ah.” The chimera pressed his lips together and looked at Stiles. “I didn’t think he would have told you that.”

“What?”

“The Dread Doctors gave me orders, said that infiltrating the pack started with you, but they don’t seem to understand modern relationships. I knew I had to be slow, gain your trust, and ultimately find some way to break you and Liam up.” Theo spoke in that same dispassionate tone as Stiles frowned at him. “I thought a gentle nudge, a sort of ‘I’m interested in your boyfriend, and I’m gonna try and get with him!’ tactic would make Liam jealous and protective.”

“That seems counter-productive.” Stiles muttered, seeing Theo nod.

“Yeah, kinda the point. Because then I would’ve gone back to the Doctors and told them that it was a waste of time trying to go through you.” Theo explained, sighing. “I never counted on Liam being homicidal though, I mean, it figures that he’d want to protect you, but-”

“Wait, are you saying that you didn’t provoke him? That you were, what, just walking away?” 

“Huh? Of course I didn’t attack him.” Theo tilted his head on one side, confused. “I thought he told you what happened…that he…oh.”

“Looks like Liam left something out.” Stiles muttered to himself, his stomach clenching tight. Without looking at the chimera, the frothing water under the bridge receiving his blistering glare instead, Stiles asked another question that had been on his mind. “Why are you covering it up though? My Dad said you and Parrish were getting along? Did you think that the cops wouldn’t do anything if you had said it was Liam?”

“The thought crossed my mind.” Theo admitted as Stiles looked up at him sharply. “What? There’s corruption in almost every police station, Jordan, uh, Deputy Parrish seems like one of the good guys, I didn’t want to put his career in jeopardy just to solve a murder where the victim lived.”

“You’re almost _too_ altruistic, Theo, not sure I’m buying it.” Stiles managed to reply, drowning out the shouting in his head, the implication that Liam had lied to him, the chorus of voices that screamed not to trust Theo, to talk to Liam instead. “Um, thanks for the information though.” 

 

“Stiles?”

The teenager turned as Theo called out his name, both of them still on the bridge. “What?”

“The Doctors are pretty smart, even if they still view the world like it’s the 1800s.” Theo was looking at him again. “They knew that Liam was a powder keg waiting to blow; they just didn’t tell me. I found out only yesterday evening what their real plan was.”

“Tell me.”

“Getting close to you was a means to an end; the leader of the Doctors, the Surgeon, he had plans to use Liam’s anger to test a theory about the transfer of True Alpha status.” Theo placed his hands inside his coat’s pockets and shrugged. “I was just meant to rile Liam up and get him into this place where he’d be constantly angry, and therefore ready to act when the other parts of the plan fell into place.”

“And then?” Stiles nodded for him to continue, his mind’s eye casting an image of a perpetually raging Liam tearing up the school. “What did that have to do with Scott?”

“I would have to make sure Liam and Scott were in the same place, and then the Doctors had some mechanism to make them fight, though I’m not sure what that is.” Theo glanced to one side and grimaced. “Maybe it was having you and Kira hostage? Maybe they’d have to fight each other or one of you would have been killed? Crude and cruel, but-”

“It would have worked.” Stiles muttered darkly.

“I was never going to let it go that far, I thought that once I was in the pack, I could tell you and Scott about their plan and everything. I just never counted on Liam being _that_ angry.”

“So, was it all for show? Do you even like me?” Stiles smirked at him, relief sweeping through his body as Theo shook his head. “Really?”

“Nah, I mean, sure, you’re a nice person and you look out for your friends and you pretty much were willing to sacrifice everything for Liam after the attack, that says a lot about your qualities.” Theo gestured vaguely in his direction. “But, no, I don’t like you that way.”

“Huh, Liam seemed to buy it.”

“Chimera powers!” Theo grinned suddenly, the expression appearing odd after his previous emotionless responses. The chimera shrugged as Stiles regarded him suspiciously. “There is someone else that I do like, a chimera, though he’s part of the new batch of experiments that they made after me; they’re all successful, whereas I understand that the previous batches did not survive. Though their survival is because of a, hmm, _piece_ of another, ancient chimera; one that had the ability to control other chimeras and make them slaves to its will. The Doctors have animated this piece, so they have partial control of the chimeras, of, of him.”

“Anyone I know?”

“I don’t think so, Corey said that no one ever noticed him, makes his chimera abilities more fitting, I suppose.” Theo grinned again, though this time Stiles recognized the type of smile and the way Theo’s eyes had fixed on one point in the distance as though recalling a specific memory. The chimera blinked and looked over at him. “You asked me what I wanted and why I kept covering for Liam? I’m working on a plan to free Corey and the others from the Dread Doctors’ control; I’d like if you and Liam would volunteer. I won’t force you or blackmail you or anything, but that werewolf is strong and you’re smart.”

“Sounds dangerous for you to do this; Scott said you were a double agent, right?”

“Yeah, but the Doctors don’t trust me like they used to, soon I won’t be a good tool for them to use, and since they can’t control me, they’ll just discard me.” Theo shrugged as Stiles arched a brow at his nonchalance. “They’ll harvest my body for parts, of course, I have another piece of that ancient chimera inside me. It’s what kept me from dying fully when Liam attacked.”

“Uh, super.” Stiles blinked. “Hey, if they don’t trust you, who are they going to use instead?”

“They had plans for a guy named Donovan-”

“Err, hopefully not the one I’m thinking of!”

“Dunno,” Theo paused and then continued. “But he was killed by Lucas; the Doctors don’t care about what the chimeras do as long as they don’t interfere with active experiments. So, Lucas killed Donovan for power and control becoming the new favorite.”

“Wonderful.” Stiles murmured, looking down at his phone. _Three missed calls from Scott? I didn’t even feel the vibration, shit, I wonder if it’s about Liam._ He glanced up at Theo, “Um, great talk, we’ll uh, I’ll talk to Liam, and yeah.” _Figure out which of you is lying._

“Goodbye, Stiles.” Theo turned away from him, resting his forearms on the bridge and looking back at the water again.

“Yeah…” Stiles nodded slowly and backed away, only turning around once the bridge was lost from view behind a cluster of trees. His head spun with the implications of what Theo had said, but Stiles managed to tamp down on the panic that threatened to engulf his thoughts, focusing instead on placing one foot in front of the other. “Liam, gotta talk to Liam, Theo could be lying, but Liam won’t lie to me about something like this, right?” He grimaced as a treacherous thought slipped unbidden into his mind. _Unless, he’s already lied to my face…_


	106. When The Sky Falls Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for a lack of chapter last week; work and being sick overwhelmed me. Be advised, it gets heavy in this chapter.

“Open the door, Liam.”

The werewolf pulled the pillow off his head when he heard the low whisper from outside the barricaded entrance. The wardrobe and desk had been pushed up against the door as he didn’t have a lock and Liam didn’t want his parents to come in after their argument earlier. But it was Scott outside now, and the Beta grumbled as he felt an instinctive compulsion to get up and push everything aside. He rolled onto his side and regarded the blockade suspiciously. “Who else is out there?”

“It’s just me, c’mon, man, let me in.”

“Fine, just a minute.” Liam got up and huffed irritably as he pulled aside the desk, only having to exert himself when he set his shoulder to the wardrobe and shoved the heavy piece of furniture back to its place against the wall. “It’s clear.”

“Uh, ok.” Scott muttered and then opened the door. There was a frown on the Alpha’s face and he looked around the room. “What did you put up against the door? _Why?_ ”

“They weren’t leaving me alone.” Liam scowled and turned away from him, walking over to the window and staring out at his leaf-strewn backyard. “It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

“Your parents are just worried, Liam,” Scott replied quietly, closing the door with a click. “And with this type of reaction, you’re not helping yourself.”

“Why are you here, Scott?”

“They called me.” The Alpha admitted, strolling over to stand slightly behind him. “But I was gonna come over anyway, remember I told you that last night? I guess it doesn’t matter.” Scott shrugged when Liam stayed quiet. “I wanted to talk to you, just you and me without Stiles.”

“Why?” Liam glanced at him over his shoulder, trying to keep his heartbeat steady as he did so. “I don’t keep any secrets from him.”

“Really?” Scott arched a brow and then shock his head slightly. “For once, I hope you don’t mean that.”

“Huh?”

“Um,” Scott turned away and sat on the edge of Liam’s desk, clasping his hands as his feet swung just above the floor. “The night Theo was attacked, in the woods, do you remember where you were?”

“Yeah.” Liam grunted defensively. “I went back for my phone and then me and Stiles left.”

“Uh huh, ok, um, no.” Scott looked intensely at his Beta. “You wanna try that again? I might not have Stiles’ instincts or the Sheriff’s experience, but I know how to read between the lines of what someone doesn’t say. Theo has been _frustratingly_ vague when it comes to the details of his attack, other than to try and get everyone to drop the investigation. Or else he just pins it on a mysterious chimera that no one else has seen.”

“What’s your point, Scott?” The younger werewolf leaned back on the window sill and crossed his arms. “Or are you just fishing?”

“Did you attack Theo that night?” Scott looked at Liam directly, their gaze locked for a moment until Liam pulled his eyes away. “Come on, Liam, tell me the truth, what happened?”

Liam stared at the floor, feeling his defenses slip at Scott’s soft, encouraging tone. After what felt like an hour of silence, he looked back at his Alpha and bit his lip. “This is the one thing Stiles doesn’t know.”

“Ok.”

“He can’t know, I never meant to hide it, I just…I couldn’t disappoint him any more than I had already.” Liam swallowed thickly, seeing Scott nod understandingly at him. “I…when Theo…we were on the bridge, and there was an argument, he said some stuff that…I look back on it now and it was crazy, irrational, Stiles would never have done the things he suggested. But I wasn’t thinking, only acting, and I, I, uh…”

“What did you do, Liam?” Scott asked in that same soft tone, leaning forward this time. “What happened next?”

“I lost control.” Liam whispered, his eyes fixed on the edge of the desk near Scott’s knee, his mind replaying the events of that awful night back to him. “I lashed out, attacked Theo when he was about to walk away. I wasn’t really thinking, but I wanted to stop him, to…kill him, just in case what he said about getting to Stiles might happen. I wasn’t…in control, but I did mean to hurt him, stop him, take him out.”

 

“Ok.” Scott released a breath of air after Liam stopped speaking. He stood up and walked across the floor to his Beta, placing a hand on his shoulder until Liam looked at him. “Um, first off, thanks for telling me everything, I can see that was hard for you. Second off, I can see why you didn’t want Stiles to know, but this is a pretty big lie to try and keep up with, Liam, you should trust him enough that he’ll still love you afterwards.”

“Are you angry?”

“Anger won’t change the past.” Scott replied, squeezing his Beta’s shoulder as regret and sorrow swamped the air between them. “Theo _is_ alive, so that’s something, I suppose, and it explains why he didn’t want an investigation.”

“Yeah, case closed.” Liam nodded firmly. “He’s alright, so I’ll apologize to him, and we’ll be good, right?”

“Good?” Scott shook his head quickly. “You attacked him, remember? If he hadn’t been a chimera, he’d be dead! You can’t just brush it away like it never happened, Liam.”

“Why not? He’s alive, I’ve got my anger under control, no harm, no foul!” Liam glared at him and Scott stepped back. “What?”

“Uh, how about the fact that you completely flipped out and barricaded yourself inside your bedroom when your parents asked you to take a break from seeing the pack?” Scott gestured expansively at the door. “I don’t see that as you being in control, Liam.”

“I can still be angry.” He muttered darkly. “It’s not like I slashed _their_ necks!”

“Not funny.” The Alpha glared at him, Scott’s mouth pulled into a narrow line. “You said you’d apologize to Theo; did you actually mean that? Or are you saying that just because you think it’s something you’re meant to do?”

“I…no, I mean it.” Liam sat down heavily on the bed. “I don’t _want_ to do it, but it’d be easier if Theo was alone and I didn’t have you judging me too.”

“I don’t think Theo would be happy to be alone with you, Liam.” Scott barked a short laugh, before his expression became serious again. “However, I should be able to convince him to talk to you-we’re not friends, exactly, but he’s been an important source of information and I think he trusts me. Somewhere neutral, and somewhere where there’s people, he might want someone he trusts with him too, but I think he can be persuaded.”

“Ok, what do you want in return?”

“If you want to put this behind you, then you have to tell him.” Scott replied firmly. “Stiles _has_ to know, otherwise, you’ll just keep lying to him, or worse, he’ll discover the truth for himself.”

“It was hard telling you.” Liam sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t know if I can tell him that I lied to his face.”

“The best way to solve a problem is to go straight through it.” The Alpha placed a comforting hand on Liam’s shoulder again. “And I think there might be a way to get everything out in the open; repair the damage with you and your parents and give Stiles the whole truth all at the same time.”

“You want me to tell them together, don’t you?” Liam groaned and buried his face in his hands when Scott smiled and nodded. After a moment of silent horror, he looked back up at Scott. “My parents don’t want me to be with Stiles, not as much, but if I’m going to do this, I want him in the room. Can you arrange that too, Scott?”

The Alpha stood up and he paced away from Liam before turning back to him. “I’ll see what I can do. But, look, I’m not going to kick you out of the pack or anything insane like that, Liam, you’re still one of us, you’re still my Beta. However, when we’re talking to them, you have to tell your parents and Stiles everything; like you told me, ok?”

“Yes, Scott.” Liam whispered quietly, feeling his pulse speed up when the older werewolf nodded and stepped out of the room, his hand reaching for his phone. _Shit! Shit! This is crazy! Stiles is gonna…ah!_

 

Stiles nodded grimly at Dr Geyer when the man opened the door. “Evening.”

“Stiles, come in.” He stood to one side and then followed Stiles into the living room once he entered the house. There was no one else there and Dr Geyer gestured for him to sit down.

“I’ll stand.”

“Oh, do you know why Scott wants us all to be together for Liam’s, uh, conversation?”

“Maybe.” Stiles scowled, clenching his hands into fists to control the anger that was coursing through his body. The rage had come upon him suddenly after he climbed into Roscoe and left Theo behind in the forest. He wasn’t sure what incensed him more; the fact that Liam hadn’t told him the entire truth, or the fact that Theo was actually a good guy and not the villain Stiles had built him up to be. Part of him felt responsible for bringing Liam along during his investigation of the chimera, but the rest of his logic was slipping away into a pool of fiery anger. 

“Stiles?” Dr Geyer was staring at him, concern wrinkling his brow. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” He replied evenly, hearing the sounds of footsteps overhead, Liam’s room being above the living room. Stiles nodded, his rage fading away and being replaced with a cold frostiness that flooded over him. “I have an idea why we’re here, but I’d like to hear what Liam has to say this time, see if he’s ready to be honest.”

“Uh, ok.” The man coughed uncomfortably and turned away when Liam’s Mom entered the room. “Dear, Stiles is here.”

“Hello.”

“Mrs Dunbar.” Stiles forced himself to smile and reached out to shake her hand, the overt formality making her blink in surprise. _Good, caught her off-guard!_ He coughed quietly at the viciousness of the thought that flashed through his mind and instead of making small talk as he would have normally done, Stiles turned to the staircase and folded his arms, foot tapping impatiently. “C’mon, Liam, what’s going on?”

Sounds like he’s coming now.” Mrs Dunbar muttered, standing next to her husband.

“Mmh.” Stiles grunted, looking up as Scott came down first, the Alpha avoiding his eyes and instead walking past the trio to stand at the other side of the coffee table. A few seconds passed and then Liam followed the Alpha, looking nervously at Stiles and then at his parents, before looking back at his boyfriend.

“Hey.”

“Hi.” Stiles acknowledged him, but kept his arms folded across his chest, noting that Liam made no move to embrace him or offer more than a monosyllabic greeting. “So? What’s the big announcement?”

“Um, why don’t you sit-”

“No.” Stiles cut across him and looked hard at Liam. “I’m fine.”

“Um,” Liam wetted his lips and hesitantly met Stiles’ eyes. “Uh, sounds like you might already know what this is about?”

“I want to hear it from you, I want to know if-” Stiles shook his head, stopping himself. Instead he just nodded. 

“Uh, Scott thought it would be easier or better to tell everyone at once, well, you guys. But, uh, you should sit down.” Liam gestured at his parents, nodding quickly when they did so. He angled himself away from Stiles’ icy stare and looked at Scott instead. “Um.”

“Go on, we can explain everything afterwards.”

 _Oh? Taking his side, huh, Scott?_ Stiles exchanged a look with his best friend, the Alpha giving nothing away. _That was a bit mean, Liam is his Beta, and Scott is the fairest person I know._

 

“…and I told you about how it was Stiles that said we should go away for a while, right?” Liam asked nervously as his parents nodded slowly. “That wasn’t exactly the truth.”

“Yeah, I’ve kind of worked that out.” Dr Geyer looked past Liam at Stiles’ face, the teenager looking decidedly frosty. “Uh, so what really did happen?”

“I…” Liam closed his eyes and then just said it, feeling as though he had just taken a step off a cliff onto empty space. “I attacked and killed Theo Raeken.”

Silence greeted his words, the werewolf opening his eyes to see his mother staring at him and his step-father frowning in confusion. Liam clenched his teeth to stop panic from engulfing him and turned around to look at his boyfriend. “Um, Stiles, you kinda know that part.”

“Yeah.”

“But what you don’t know is that Theo didn’t attack me first, he was going to leave, but I stopped him.” Liam found the words easier to say this time, even if part of that was because he was staring at Stiles’ folded arms instead of his face. “I pulled Theo back and we fought, I did lose control, but I wanted him…stopped.”

“Dead, you mean.” Stiles spoke in a tight, controlled voice.

“You don’t sound surprised.” Liam mumbled, looking up to find his boyfriend’s eyes were cold and unrecognizably hard. “He told you.”

“No, well, not exactly.” Stiles could see Liam’s parents were blinking slowly, the information finally beginning to be processed. “I tried to trick him, to get Theo to say that he attacked you first, or that it was all a big misunderstanding, anything except what I’ve suspected since he turned up yesterday.”

“He’s still alive though.”

“You say that like it’s meant to make a difference: you lied to me, Liam. And you kept lying.” Stiles’ expression began to crumble, and Liam could practically _taste_ the upset spilling from his boyfriend. “Yesterday in the car, on the way back to Beacon Hills, when we were talking about what story to tell your parents, you could have stepped in and just told me the truth then. But you didn’t.”

“Stiles…” Liam reached for him, but the teenager shrugged him away and strode towards the door. “Stiles, don’t go!” He looked at Scott for help and the Alpha nodded.

“Wait here, stay with your parents, I’ll talk to him.”

“Yeah.” Liam muttered, watching them leave, not hearing his step-father as the man began to talk, pressing him for details and clarification. He heard the doors to the Jeep swing open and then slam shut, the engine roaring away a moment later. Liam squeezed his eyes shut, his shoulders beginning to quake as tears burst from deep within him and the werewolf dropped to the floor, his world crashing down with him.


	107. The Problems of Werewolves

“Well?” Stiles glared at the Alpha as Scott shifted uncomfortably opposite him. They were at a diner near the high school, Stiles not wanting to go home while he was still visibly upset, not wanting to have to see his father and admit that he had misjudged Liam. It had been one thing to hear Theo say it, but it hadn’t felt real until Liam confessed that he had been the aggressor, that the attack had been _deliberate._ Stiles took a handful of Scott’s curly-fries and popped them one at a time into his mouth, eyes still locked together. Normally, that action would have drawn a rebuke from his best friend, but this time, Scott just clasped his hands and his lips parted as he prepared to speak.

“Stiles…”

“Really, Scott?” He paused with a fry raised up. “Did you think that Liam just saying that straight out was the best way to tell his parents?”

“Sometimes ripping the bandage off is the only option.” Scott shrugged. “If he had all that time to build up and stall and try and make an excuse for what he did, Liam might have backed out or watered it down. I didn’t want to have to force him to tell the truth, besides, you already knew, didn’t you?”

“I talked to Theo this afternoon.” Stiles admitted and took a mouthful of soda to draw the awkward silence out further. “He had some…interesting things to say. But he didn’t volunteer that information about Liam; I tricked him to see if he was trying to blackmail Liam and me.”

“That’s not really his style.”

“No, doesn’t seem to be.” He paused, arching a brow as Scott pushed his basket of curly fries across the table towards him. Stiles accepted them somewhat suspiciously. “You’ve been here, he’s your…I don’t know, ‘asset’ makes him sound like a spy!”

“Yeah, I know.” Scott shrugged. “But you’re right, I guess, Theo is kinda like a spy; he’s taking a lot of risk snooping on the Dread Doctors for us. He keeps saying that they’re close some big play, but he doesn’t know the specifics yet.”

“Did he tell you about that Corey chimera?”

“Uh huh.”

“Really?” Stiles frowned at him. “Why didn’t you mention it yesterday?”

“A lot happened yesterday, and today too.” Scott replied meaningfully. “We can talk about Theo and whatever his plan is to rescue all the chimeras another time, but we really should concentrate on Liam right now.”

“Maybe I could do with thinking about someone else’s problems instead. Hell, any sort of distraction would be welcome.” Stiles muttered darkly. He looked up as Scott fidgeted in his seat. “What’s with you? You’ve been squirming about ever since we sat down.”

“Um, well, if you want to hear someone else’s problems, I could use your advice.” Scott chewed his lower lip and sneaked a fry from the basket between them as Stiles nodded. “So, uh, Kira has been acting distant ever since school started; like she doesn’t want to hang out or go on dates or anything.”

“Why not?”

“She says that it’s a Kitsune problem, some sort of dominance issue between her and the fox spirit inside her.” Scott explained. “She doesn’t trust herself, says that she’s afraid of what might happen if we were together, you know, intimate…”

“Ah.” Stiles nodded and pushed the basket of fries back towards his best friend. “But you’re still together, right? So, you can’t, uh, see other, I mean, if you wanted to?”

“No, no, I don’t want to date anyone else.” Scott shook his head, lowering his voice as a group from their grade walked past. “I mean, aside from the whole werewolf thing, I really care about Kira, and this isn’t her fault. It seems like all of us have to master the monster inside, like with Liam, but I think her parents are really supportive and understanding and if I give her enough space, she’ll be ok.”

“As long as she knows you’re there for her if she needs or wants your support, then yeah, sounds like a good idea.”

“Exactly.”

“Hmm.” Stiles tilted his head on one side as Scott shifted awkwardly in his seat again, eyes narrowing when he saw the werewolf’s hand disappear under the table and the familiar rocking motion of his wrist and forearm. _Oh…well, that must be awkward, especially for someone like Scott._ “So, you’re not dating, but you are…uh, getting some ‘stress relief’, right, Scott?”

“Uh.”

“What? Not even that?!” Stiles hissed as his best friend’s face went red. “Dude, you can’t just not…do it, you have to release the pressure! Do you know what sort of insane dreams I get when I leave it for longer than a few days?”

“Yeah, I’ve had several hot…” Scott admitted quietly, his cheeks burning crimson.

“Oh, well, maybe you’ve had the, uh, the thing that can happen at night, right?”

“Um, not yet.” The Alpha shook his head as Stiles winced. “I suppose if I, uh, released some pressure manually, err, that wouldn’t be cheating if I was thinking of Kira, right?”

“I don’t think it counts as cheating at all, dude.” Stiles shrugged and gestured vaguely in Scott’s direction. “It’s almost, like, a medical thing right now, just with the way you werewolves regenerate; you brush up against a table and it’s instant bon-”

“Stiles!” Scott hissed angrily at him, his hands suddenly gripping the table edge hard enough to leave a mark. “Talking about it is not helping!”

“Sorry, uh, your fries are gone anyway, maybe we should call it a night, huh?” Stiles grinned mischievously as Scott froze. “Err, haha, do you want my jacket to cover your, uh, excitement?!”

“I’m gonna kill you.” His best friend glared at him, before breaking eye contact. “Fine, hand it over.”

“Haha!”

 

Stiles followed Scott into his house, a wave of serenity coming over him as he crossed the familiar threshold, smiling faintly when he saw Melissa’s hand-written note stuck to the fridge, warning of a late night shift and the need to eat the leftover Chinese food. He nodded when Scott pointed at the stairs, “Yeah, I’ll see you there, need to use the bathroom.”

“Cool, I’ll grab some sodas, I think we have some chips too, um, you want candy?”

“We watching a movie or something?”

“No,” Scott paused at the cupboards. “It’s just…we gotta talk about Liam, Stiles, I’m not doing that without a sugar rush to fall back on.”

“Uh huh.” Stiles smirked and left him to it, taking the stairs quickly and darting into the bathroom. _I hope Kira sorts her fox problems soon, not sure I can deal with a sugar-craving, super-horny Scott in the middle of this chimera crisis!_ He pissed and washed his hands, hearing Scott’s footsteps on the staircase. “I’m just finishing!”

“Got the chips!” Scott held the bag aloft and grinned at him. “I’ll get the soda in a minute.”

“Ok, dude.” Stiles smiled good-naturedly at him, accepting the offered bag. The expression vanished a moment later when Scott paused half-way down the stairs and appeared to be listening intently. “What is it?”

“It’s…a familiar car.” Scott looked back at him with a guarded expression. “Um.”

“It’s Liam, isn’t it?”

“Dr Geyer’s car at least,” The Alpha nodded absently, still focused on the sounds from outside his house. “There’s a distinctive rattle around his exhaust that I’ve told him he should get checked out. Uh, I’ll go run interference.”

“Thanks, I’ll be in your room.” Stiles smiled gratefully at his best friend and darted into Scott’s bedroom, throwing the chips onto the bed. He closed the door until it wasn’t entirely shut, leaving enough of a gap to listen as Scott opened the front door.

“Liam.”

“Is, uh, is Stiles here?” Liam’s voice was hoarse, as though he had been coughing, or crying. “My step-father said it was alright to visit you if he’s here, well, my Mom-”

“It’s ok, come inside.” Scott stepped aside, and Stiles saw a glimpse of navy flannel as Liam entered. “Stiles is upstairs, but I don’t know if he wants to see you. Maybe you and I should…”

Stiles closed the door as quietly as he could manage, shutting out Scott’s discussion with Liam. He walked over to the bed and folded his arms as thoughts ran a thousand miles an hour in his mind. _He’s looking for forgiveness. Well, I mean, that’s obvious, but is there more to it?_

“Hmm.” Stiles growled in his throat, beginning to pace back and forth in front of Scott’s untidy closet; piles of books and copies spilling out among the mounds of clothes and several dusty dumbbells from when they were younger teenagers and Scott had to worry about gaining muscle mass the normal way. He let his eyes focus on the weights as he continued to walk in tight circles. _Why am I even mad? Liam had a point: Theo is alive, and I know the chimera isn’t holding a grudge, that he wants help, sure, but from the sounds of it, he’d go in alone if he had to…No, Stiles, stop drifting away from Liam, gonna have to confront the fact that he lied to you sooner or later. Yeah, but-_

“Stiles?”

Liam’s voice from outside the door interrupted his internal argument and Stiles turned around. “Uh…”

“Stiles, can I come in? Scott’s behind me.” There was a pause and then Liam spoke again. “He says that he has the candy, um, I think that’s a good thing?”

“Fine, come in.” Stiles muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Who am I to refuse offerings of candy?!”

“Heh.” The doorknob turned, and Liam appeared in the hallway, sheepish expression on his handsome face. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

 

“Well?” Stiles asked as Liam stood in front of him, the werewolf twisting the corners of his shirt upwards until a small strip of his toned stomach could be seen. The older teenager flicked his eyes upwards so as not to be distracted. “Liam, what did you want to say to me?”

“I’m sorry.” Liam pressed his lips together and looked at Stiles, holding his gaze. “I never meant to lie to you, it just sorta happened. And you would have never needed to know if Theo had stayed dead.”

_So, you’re blaming him?_ Stiles bit back the retort and just nodded.

“Um, that’s not an excuse, just how I justified it to myself, I guess.” He blinked hard and quickly wiped a knuckle across his eye. “You were right, Stiles, I had a bunch of opportunities to tell you the truth, not just yesterday, and I never did. You’ve helped me so much and I’m sorry I let you down.”

“Yeah.” Stiles sighed, brows pulled together as he looked at his boyfriend, Liam seeming more miserable and defeated than he had ever seen him. “Look, ok, Theo’s alive, so you get a free pass on killing him. Don’t worry, I talked to him earlier; he’s not holding a grudge, but you gotta apologize to Theo, in person, Liam, you owe him that much.”

“I know, I want to.” Liam agreed quickly, his tongue peeking through his lips.

“As for you and me, hmm.” Stiles looked down at his feet, shaking his head slowly. “I put everything on the line for you, Liam. I feel bad that it took something like what happened to Theo to make you get a proper handle on your anger, but in a strange way, I’m also happy that you understood the repercussions of your actions.”

“What are you saying, Stiles?”

“I’m saying…that we all make mistakes, and at least you’ve been willing to own up to them, finally.” Stiles gritted his teeth and looked back at his boyfriend. “It’s gonna take some time for us to be a hundred percent again, Liam, you understand that, right?”

“As long as there is an ‘us’, I’ll do whatever it takes!” Liam replied eagerly, a grin breaking out across his face. “Thanks, Stiles.”

“Uh huh.” He gestured for Liam to approach him and glanced to one side as Scott smiled goofily at them. “What?”

“Nothing,” The Alpha opened a candy bar as Stiles pulled Liam into a hug. “Just glad to see you guys back together, we’re going to need all the unity we can get for what’s to come.”

“Meaning?”

“Uh, Theo texted me just now,” Scott held up his phone. “He said that our time has run out, the Surgeon is ready to unveil his ‘greatest success’, whatever that means.”

“Sounds grim.” Stiles muttered as Liam stepped back from him. He looked over at Scott, “We’ll head downstairs, grab a cup of coffee, give you some time to reply to him, and uh, ensure that pressure valve isn’t so tightly screwed on, huh?”

“Uh…”

“Good! C’mon, Liam!” Stiles grinned and grabbed Liam’s hand, pulling the confused werewolf away from Scott’s rapidly reddening face. “I’ll have to grind the beans by hand, it’ll be really loud, so we won’t hear, uh, anything!”

“Get out, Stiles!”

**Author's Note:**

> I've been really interested in the Liam/Stiles dynamic lately and decided to go back to Season 4 and explore it from there. 
> 
> Updating this every few days. 
> 
>  
> 
> Please note that there is some/explicit sexual content between Stiles and Liam (Chapters 34, 55, 63, 73, 74, and 100) in this story. Liam is 15/16, Stiles is 17. However, following conversations with some fellow writers, I have removed the Underage warning. If you think this should be reapplied, please leave me a comment.


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